The Curse of the Crimson Ankh
by Phoenix-LOL
Summary: Request from SariSpy56. My take on "Curse of the mummy" Read and Review Rated T cuz I'm paranoid. Discclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KBSD!
1. Chapter 1

The Curse of the Crimson Ankh

Hey everybody! This was a challenge from a good friend of mine, the talented KBSD authoress herself, SariSpy56!

-FANFARE-

So this is a story similar to her masterpiece trilogy "Curse of the mummy" "The Mummy and "Return of the mummy". You will note some similarities; however I will add my OC in for fun.

_Italics mean thoughts_

**Bold means walkie-talkies**

So sit back, relax and enjoy! SariSpy56, this is for you!

-KBSD: CotCA-

It was nearing the end of the day for the students at Mellowbrooke Elementary, and the anticipation of the bell was building in the kids' bodies as they anxiously awaited the afternoon to come. Kick was particularly bored today, and knew that a good stunt would perk him up; he had talked to his best friend Gunther about planning something epic later on.

"Well class I hope you have learned a thing or two about Ancient Egypt, because the school has decided to take this class on a flies trip to Egypt, tomorrow." Ms. Fitzpatrick stated as she motioned to the world map on the board. "We will visit the ancient city of Meloka, and try to find artifacts from over 5000 years ago."

The class mumbled amongst themselves; Gwen turned around in her seat, to face Kick and Gunther who sat behind her, an ecstatic look in her green eyes. He replied with thumbs up and wink.

"ATTENTION CLASS!" Everyone readjusted and became silent, "One more thing, you must have your parent or guardian sign a permission slip that will be collected in the morning. No slip, no trip! The papers are by the door, you may pick one up on your way out."

The bell rang throughout the school as students grabbed their things and filed out, taking a slip as they went. Gwen stopped by her locker really quickly to put away her books as Kick and Gunther met her.

"Can you believe it, Kick? We're going to Egypt!" The large boy gushed as he jumped up and down.

"It is pretty exciting," Kick agreed, "I hope I'll get some inspiration for some new stunts."

"Is that all you can think about is your stupid stunts, Clarence?" The female voice of Kendall entered the conversation as she walked by the group.

"Yes, Kendall, since I am a daredevil, I obviously think of stunts. It's what I do." Kick replied dryly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Whatever, just try not to ruin this trip too, ok? There is plenty to learn about in Egypt, and I don't want to miss a thing." Taking her leave, the blonde walked out the building.

Gwen rolled her eyes and grabbed her in-line blades from her locker, "Well somebody's in a good mood today." She commented sarcastically, finally speaking in the group.

"Hey, Gwen, can we stop by your house for a minute? I think I left my toothbrush behind from last night's sleep over." Gunther admitted, scoffing his crocs on the ground below him.

Gwen giggled, "Yeah that would be difficult to explain to my dad."

Kick only shook his head; he had to admit something was wrong with him. Gwen had a really beautiful laugh, even harmonious. He felt so out of character around her, like she was a puppeteer holding his strings.

The group made their way to Gwen's lavish and spacious house. Sure, the Axle family was rich, but Gwen asked to keep it on the QT, because she knew the price of exposing one's secrets. Entering the large corridor, Gunther sprinted up the curved staircase to the second level bathroom; while Gwen and Kick headed into the living room that sported a large plasma flat screen TV, 6 seat sofa and solid glass coffee table.

"I can't believe we're going to Egypt." Gwen flopped down on the upholstered seating, removing her skates and placing her red sock covered feet on the shiny glass.

"Yeah, sounds awesome." Kick joined her, however didn't get as comfortable as she did, after all it wasn't his house.

Gwen noticed her friend's nature and rolled her eyes, she was used to this behavior by now but it kinda surprised her that it was coming from the suburban daredevil himself. Grabbing a remote beside her, she flicked on the television to see it was currently on the history channel.

"Well that's funny," She commented, looking at the guide, "It's a show on Ancient Egypt, Meloka even!"

The archeologist on the screen looked familiar, until the lettering at the bottom showed his name, "Dr. Marcus Axle? Gwen, is that your dad?" Kick asked, pointing to the screen in shock.

"It is my dad, holy crap! I didn't know he was working in Egypt, the last time I heard he was in Indonesia!"

"Maybe this is worth a watch after all." Both kids leaned back to listen as the narrator went on talking.

"Dr. Axle has been digging in the Meloka deserts for 6 months; and has finally discovered the lost tomb of Kickankhamun, the legendary boy king of Egypt. Kickankhamun took the throne when he was only 10 years old, after his father was killed in a battle between the northern Egyptian people and the Invaders from the north, the Romans. The roman general Octavius Axelaneous, had been sent by the emperor Augustus to try and bargain with the Nile people. This meeting was known as Consilium pacis, or the council of peace. After days of pleading with the boy king, Kickankhamun agreed to give away some of Egypt's resources of papyrus, former roman slaves and gold in exchange for something in return. What Axelaneous offered in return was weapons from the roman armory, silks and one final gift that showed his devotion to his word, one that historians today find shocking. He offered his only daughter to be a slave to the Kickankhamun's court. Her name was Octavia Axelaneous, and she was a mysterious girl to the roman general. Some believe she was the result of Octavius' affair with a mistress in the palace of Augustus. In order to conceal this deed, he gave away the child to clean his name. Others believe that Octavia was a servant girl that in order to impress the Egyptian royals, referred to her as his daughter. Whatever the case, the deal was made and Octavia was sold as the Pharaoh's slave girl.

Although a slave the court still treated her with dignity. She was renamed Kamilah, meaning 'perfection' in Egyptian, and she was considered the whispered beauty of the Pharaoh's house. She was described as having beautiful crimson hair, light green eyes and a fair physique. Kamilah was often called to entertain the pharaoh and his advisors with music and stories. Kickankhamun was told to have loved these stories of strange creatures and epic battles, many times calling the girl to his bedchambers at night to hear them told again. Rumors began to circulate that the young pharaoh had fallen in love with the slave, something incredibly scorning. Kickankhamun had already a wife, the renowned queen Akila who had been betrothed to him at birth. Another spread that the priestess Hafsah, of the temple of the god Ra, had an obsession with the Pharaoh, and became furious to hear of his marriage and alleged affair. It was discovered if the slave and the king had an affair but they did seem to be close friends, even until his death two years later.

Kickankhamun was written to be a child of all things. He enjoyed adventure and thrill of life and hated the royal workings of being Pharaoh. He was said to have made a golden skateboard that he used to travel the streets. One day while skating on a half-pipe, he was reported to be struck in the neck with a sharp rock or knife and killed instantly. The murderer was never found and the mystery was never solved."

"Wow, that's some mystery; to think- a Pharaoh Assassination plot!" Gwen thought aloud as fingered the remote.

"Yeah, that name sounds familiar." Kick considered the story as the two looked at each other.

During the time of the program, the duo had changed positions. Gwen had sunken into the cushion of the couch, snuggling into Kick. Kick had rested his arm around her shoulders unconsciously bringing her closer to him. Their faces were centimeters apart and if one listened quietly, you hear two rhythmic heartbeats. In a moment of split impulse, the girl's eyelids lowered and she leaned into the daredevil who was half-dazed in stupor.

"Am I interrupting anything?" A suave male voice came from behind the couch. Kick and Gwen shot around to see Gunther resting his elbows on the back of the couch, smiling sweetly.

"GUNTHER!" Kick yelled in surprise, feeling his face grow hot. Gwen looked away, the color of her cheeks burning the color of her hair. She couldn't believe she had gotten so impulsive and weak. She felt like she wanted to melt into the earth's core right there.

"How long were you standing there? Kick inquired, trying to hide his embarrassment in anger.

"Like a minute tops, but long enough AHHH-" Gunther was whacked with a pillow from the sofa, "What was that for?"

Gwen hugged the pillow to her chest, innocently looking away, "Who me?"

Kick chuckled before getting up, "Come on Gunther; time to go."

"But it was just getting good…"The eleven year old whined as Kick ushered him out the door while rolling his eyes.

"See you tomorrow Gwen." The daredevil called back, reaching to close the door,

"See ya." She moved into view, leaning on the living room door frame as she waved goodnight. Kick sent her one final win before closing the door. The girl could only giggle at his antics, "Oh, Kick…"

-KBSD: CotCA-

That night, everyone had signed their permission slips. As the night came, Mellowbrooke fell into a peaceful silence with the only noise being the crickets or occasional din. Most people could fall asleep peacefully in this haven but unfortunately two would not.

-KBSD: CotCA-

Kick tossed in his bed for the fifth time if someone was there to count. His thoughts were restless and blurry, his body covered in sweat; the obvious signs of a nightmare.

-Kick's dream-

The young Kickankhamun narrowed his eyes as he estimated the next jump he would make in the dirt road. It was his daily ride outside the palace and the day had been so beautiful it was almost blessed. The young Pharaoh wore a white tunic with golden sandals, and a golden helmet with a red stripe and a serpent attached to the front. He passed through a market, where some bowed and others cheered. After waving, he came to a swift halt as he noticed a half-pipe near the edge of the road. Feeling his adrenaline run, he bolted up and onto the structure, diving down and doing tricks. All was great nothing could go wrong; he thought happily as he felt something slam into the back of his neck, then the world went black.

His body was found on the swell of the pipe, covered in his own blood, a deep gash in his neck.

"Who would do this to our Pharaoh?" A woman cried.

"He must be avenged!" A grown man growled as several others agreed.

What no one saw was a large, satisfied, shadowy figure snickered and ran off.

-Kick's dream-

"A-a-ah!" Kick screamed as he sat up, wide awake, panting from the bad dream. That was what it was, a dream. He breathed to calm himself down and settled in to try and sleep again

_That boy looks so familiar… _These were his last clear thoughts as he drifted off to the land of sleep.

-KBSD: CotCA-

Gwen was muttering to herself as she curled up in her sleep. Sweat drenched her body as she grimaced in what looked like pain. For she too was having a nightmare, although it not the same…

-Gwen's dream-

Kamilah blew into her flute, listening to the harmonious music that came from it. She had her crimson locks up in a pony-tail braid; and a small, white, servants tunic and leather sandals. The only jewelry showing was a golden snake arm band placed on her right upper arm. She was currently sitting in the slave quarters, practicing her latest composition when she heard something move on the other side of the doorway.

"Is it done?" A female voice, dripping with poison, whispered over to the other figure.

"Yes, the Pharaoh is dead." The male voice sneered, chuckling in satisfaction. Kamilah gasped, Kickankhamun was dead? No it couldn't be true.

"Good, now that the pharaoh is dead, the throne will soon be ours!" The mysterious woman cackled a villainous laugh.

Kamilah dashed out of hiding and tried to run out of the building to cry for help, when she felt herself become paralyzed. Unable to move, she tried to struggle as she floated to the two strangers and gasped as she recognized them.

"You! You won't get away with this!" She tensed as the invisible force wrapped around her body and began to strangle her.

"Oh I think so, pathetic girl!" The woman began to chant some dark words as a blood red aura engulfed her silencing her screams as her body lay there motionless.

"The spell is complete." The woman spoke, her voice stern and cold.

"Then let's finish this-" The larger male drew a dagger, covered in dried blood and aimed to stab her heart.

"No!" The woman held back his hand, "If you kill her, her spirit will descend into the underworld and tell the Pharaoh who killed him." Looking at the limp girl, she continued, "She will sleep for eternity. We must preserve her body or else the spell will not last. Now let the new age of Egypt rise!"

The two villains laughed together as the body of Kamilah lay on the floor, seemingly still as ice, paling as the life began to drain from her body.

-Gwen's dream-

"A-a-ah!" Gwen sat up in bed, clutching the sheets in her strong grip. After a few moments of panic, she breathed in an attempt to calm down. _It was a dream, only a dream…_

Lying back down, she closed her eyes; _I'm only jumpy about the trip tomorrow, nothing to worry about… I hope…_

-KBSD: CotCA-

So that is chapter one, I hope that caught your interest.

Writing Kickankhamun story was so fun, and I did twist it so it differed from SariSpy's version. So read, review and favorite.

SariSpy56, I hoped I met your standard.

So live till it hurts! ... And then some :)

Phoenix


	2. Chapter 2

The Curse of the Crimson Ankh

**Recap: Kick and the gang are excited to hear they were headed to Egypt! After learning about an ancient murder, Kick and Gwen develop vivid dreams that couldn't possibly be real, right?**

This is chapter two of my Egyptian recreation. Not too many reviews but I hope to change that.

_Italics mean thoughts_

**Bold means walkie-talkies**

Enjoy!

-KBSD: CotCA-

Early the next morning, the yellow cheese bus rolled down the busy section of highway toward the airport. With the rambunctious kids and busy rush hour traffic, I took all the bus drivers nerve not to suddenly swerve to the side and end it all. Gwen pressed her forehead against the bus window; feeling the cold glass vibrate on her warm skin and almost massaged with every bump in the pavement.

"Gwen, are you ok?" Mouth's concerned voice asked her, waking the scarlet girl from her half-daze.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I just had some trouble sleeping last night." Not a lie but not the complete truth, just the way she liked it. Especially with her strained past with Christopher, excuse me- Mouth, she didn't want to get into it.

"You sure, I'm all ears." He pressured further, leaning closer, with a sly smile growing on his face. She giggled and look away, knowing the game he was trying to play with her. No matter how much she denied, Mouth always found a way to pry information out of her. He said nothing, but gave her space, dribbling his fingers on his upper arm. After a few moments of silence, she sighed.

"I just had a nightmare, okay? No big deal…"

"Really, I heard that dreams are a link to your subconscious and often try to tell you things." He shifted positions so his body was facing her, "What was it about?"

Gwen contemplated an answer, "Well, I was in one of the pyramids in Egypt and I ran into these strangers; I guess they were bad guys."

"Hmmm," Mouth thought for a second, "Did you watch any action movies before you went to sleep?"

Having already made the bed she might as well lie in it, "Yeah, Indiana Jones."

"You probably got excited from the movie, that's all." Mouth replied as he leaned in again, "I never took you for a nerd, Gwen."(1)

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Chris." She smirked at using her nickname for him as he laughed.

Gwen looked up to see Gunther a few rows ahead turn around and stare, letting her wave to try and divert his attention. He then disappeared again, leaving Gwen all the more confused.

_O-o-ok, what are they up to?_

-KBSD: CotCA-

"What are they up to?" Kick growled as he impatiently questioned his best friend. His dream still weighed heavily on his mind from last night and, unfortunately, the bus ride wasn't helping. All he wanted to do was talk to Gwen about Kickankhamun and Kamilah but the assigned seating chart wouldn't allow that. _To make matters worse she was seated next to Mouth, MOUTH- OF ALL PEOPLE! _

"I don't know Kick, they're talking and laughing and talking and laughing-" The boy was going on and on, not really giving him a straight answer.

"What about?" He waved his arms in emphasis.

"I don't know; they're too far away!" Looking down at his best friend, Gunther sighed, "Why are you so wound up about Mouth and Gwen?"

Kick was about to yell when he realized he didn't have an answer. What could he say that he was jealous? Heck no, daredevils are never jealous!

"I-uhhh- I'm just making sure she's alrite, you know how Mouth can get sometimes." Kick hoped Gunther would be satisfied with that, however the 'Uh-huh, sure" look on his face clearly showed he didn't.

"Crap, she saw me!" He fell down into the seat, whistling like nothing had happened.

"Why don't you just talk to her?" Kendall's voice from one aisle in front of him quizzed as she turned to face him, Jackie popping up in the seat beside her.

"True daredevils make the girls come to them, isn't that right Kick?" Jackie squeaked, displaying her trademark wackiness.

Kick shot back out of Jackie's reach as Kendall cleared her throat to speak again.

"You know, I can't help but get the feeling you like her Clarence." A smirk crossed her lips as Kick nearly jaw-dropped at the accusation.

"What? No, no, no. Me and Gwen? Not happening, NEVER happening." He spat out quickly.

"She better not, cuz I've been practicing my jump kicks. Get it, jump? Kick? Hahahaha!" She laughed at her own lame joke, as Kendall rolled her eyes, touching her blonde hair.

"Alright: if you're so sure of yourself." _He is so crazy about her; I wish he was like that with me..._

-KBSD: CotCA-

The airport was a blur; checking bags, security measures, yea Patriot Act (2), thanks so much. Gwen was now in the plane waiting for takeoff, as the other students were struggling to sit still. Rolling her eyes, she slipped her headphones in as her music began to play. Nodding her head to the beat, she looked down at her watch to see 11 o'clock hour chime. She hoped the time change wouldn't bother her too much. Thoughts drifting away as a familiar face walked beside her, "Is this seat taken?"

Looking up to meet ice blue electric eyed, Gwen smiled playfully, "Yep, to some person with a ticket for seat D-79."

"Would you believe that happened to be me?" Kick shrugged with a small smile, "Do you want the window seat?"

"You can have it, planes kinda freak me out anyway." Gwen slid back so Kick could get to his seat.

"Fear of heights?" He whispered in her ear after he settled, not wanting to give away anything to suspecting ears.

"No," Gwen giggled, "But I have seen every Airplane movie ever made." (3)

Laughing, the duo stumbled upon the topic of the film they watched last night while waiting for the plane to take off.

"So," Kick started off uneasily, "Did you have a good sleep last night?"

Gwen removed her shoes and brought her knees up, "Well, no actually," turning to look at the daredevil, playfully adding "So if I fall asleep you know why."

Kick seemed hooked on the tidbit that her sleep was bothered, "Something wrong Gwen?"

"With falling asleep on a plane, no they make planes with beds in them-"

"No, I mean sleeping in general." Kick corrected, turning look out the window, trying to be casual with a very intimate subject.

Gwen blinked for a second, before playing with a lock of her cerise hair, "Uh, well, last night's nightmare was really vivid…"

"You had one too?" His head shot around, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, wait; you had one too, what about?" Gwen shifted so she was half sitting on her thighs in all the excitement.

"It was about Kickankhamun's death; apparently it WAS a murder." Kick thought as he looked down, "Gwen this Kickankhamun sounds really familiar."

_He kinda sounds like… nah not possible. _ Gwen denied the thought as it left her head. "Well, my dream was about Kamilah and how she died."

"Kamilah was murdered too?" Kick asked, shocked by this.

"I don't know, that's what I saw…"

Gwen thought too as she sat back down, a few minutes in silence later, she pulled out her cellphone in surprise to see it vibrating.

After opening and hitting talk, she held the device to her ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, Gwenie, is it a bad time?" The male voice on the other end of the line perked her up immediately.

"Dad! Where are you?"

"Meloka, Egypt. I heard about your field trip and thought you'd like to see your ol' man again."

"YES! Of course, dad I wanna see you."

"I'll send my location to your hotel room, stop by anytime, I'll be there." Muffled voices on the end of the line caught her attention, "Look, Gwen I have to go, call me when you get to the hotel, ok?"

"Ok."

"Thata girl, love you, bye."

Gwen smiled, "More than the moons passage across the diamond sky, father- goodbye."

Hanging up Gwen sighed, an enlightening feeling rushed through her veins as she thought of the odds, the luck! She would see her dad again; it had to be at least 9 months.

"What was that?" Kick asked, slightly freaked as the girl's bubbly behavior, an unsettling feeling of jealous- no curiosity, it was curiosity. _I was not about to jump to any conclusions about her love life, I was just curious as to who the caller was, right? Right._

"My dad, I'm gonna see him in Meloka, Kick I'm gonna see him!" She repeated gleefully, hugging the boy with all her might, though her joy was not directed at him.

Kick felt himself go blazing hot as Gwen touched him, but did not say anything. _I don't want to ruin her happiness_; he thought over and over, his eyes drifted away to the left, _although I'll admit she should be ecstatic more often…_

-KBSD: CotCA-

A shadowed figure watched the two children in their embrace as he revolted at the gushy scene. If these were the two worms to interfere with his master plan then he had to watch them carefully, no matter how much it nauseated him.

"Are you sure these two are the ones?" He asked the shadowed woman beside him who continually glazed her hands over the green pool of liquid.

"Yes, the boy is the one we are after." She reaffirmed as a sneer rose to her face, "The girl is a suspect as well."

"We cannot let this happen!" The man dramatically turned and mover toward the wall behind him. This wall was covered in hieroglyphics, pictures of the moon calendar and beams, but the focus was a boy king with an ankh draped around his shoulders and neck. This jewelry sparkled in the dim troch light of the undisclosed location; the jewel glistening a bloody crimson. "The eclipse is coming fast, we must have the Ankh by then or else we will be unable to complete the ritual."

"And we shall have it, worry not. You perform your duty and I will perform mine." The woman scoffed as she came behind the man, placing her slender hands on his broad shoulders. After a moment, she moved in front of him, expanding her arms in a broad gesture, "Soon the kingdom of Egypt will rise to its former glory; and we shall be there to guide it to greatness it once was!" She cackled delightfully as her voice echoed through the hall.

-KBSD: CotCA-

Chapter 2 is done!

So here's the bad news, my break is over so I won't be able to post and write as often. Please review and favorite!

Allusions-

1) Indiana Jones- Indiana Jones is considered to be one of the first movies to successfully combine entertainment and history; something most movies didn't do well.

2) Patriot Act- In 2001, after the 9/11 incident in New York City, security in airports was increased severely in order to ensure the security of its citizens. This law is controversial and is still debated today as to whether it violates 1st amendment rights to privacy.

3) Airplane- There was a series of movies created to parody airplane disaster movies. There are four movies that I've seen and they are pretty funny. Watch them for a laugh.

Until next time, ciao!

-Phoenix


	3. Chapter 3

The Curse of the Crimson Ankh

**Recap: Gwen receives a call from her dad, saying he wants to see her again, and Gwen is ecstatic to say the least. However it seems that two mysterious figures are not happy with this turnout. **

It's a bird, it's a plane! No its chapter 3 of the Crimson Ankh! Not much to say except pay attention, every little piece counts.

Let's begin!

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Several hours later, the class had arrived at the Pyrite hotel in Meloka, Egypt. He school had rented two floors of suites for the students to sleep in, separated by gender of course. In room 125, Gwen finished tucking away her clothes as Ms. Fitzpatrick entered the room, Kendall and Jackie behind her.

"Is there something I can do for you, Ms. Fitzpatrick?" Gwen turned to face her teach, slightly yawning from her small case of jetlag.

"Mmmmmm-hmmm," Her trademark response followed, "Yes, Ms. Perkins and Ms. Wackerman's rooms have been severely damaged by the last guests so I'm bunking them with you."

Furrowing her brow, Gwen pondered, "But there are only two beds?"

Moving over towards a doorway, originally assumed to be a closet, the teacher opened it to reveal another, smaller bedroom.

"Did not see that coming..." She muttered, the woman left.

Facing her comrades, she leaned back against the dresser, "So, whaddya want?"

"Um, I'd better take the spare bedroom; I have trouble sleeping at night." Jackie said, straightening her glasses and moving in to settle her things.

"I'm ok with sleeping out here." Kendall placed her suitcase on the right bed, closest to her.

"Cool, that's the hardest part." Gwen yawned, stretching again.

"Maybe we should lie down," The blonde suggested, "Jet lag is pretty difficult to stay awake through."

"No, I'm fine." A knock at the door attracted the girls' attention as Gwen walked over and opened it. A delivery boy stood before her, holding a bouquet of blue water lilies, "Ms. Axle?" He asked, assuming the redhead was her.

"Yes?"

"These are for you." He handed her the floral before leaving quite suddenly down the hall. Gwen closed the door, holding the lilies close to her as Jackie reappeared.

"Was that Kick?"

"Yeah, Kick got me a dozen roses." She replied flatly, obviously kidding.

"Those are Egyptian Blue lotuses," Kendall clarified, "They're the national flower of Egypt."

The scarlet girl let her gaze over the cerulean petals and bright yellow centers. Leaning in, she inhaled the sweet fragrance of the blossom; it was different from anything she has ever experienced before, natural and divine.

"I wonder who they're from." Kendall thought aloud as a whistle blew outside, alerting the kids they were getting ready to leave. Placing the plant down, the trio abandoned their rooms to get on another bus. People were chattering about their rooms when Ms. Fitzpatrick climb aboard and shushed them.

"I've called you all here to let you all know that we're traveling to the famous Meloka Museum where the artifacts from the latest excavation site are on display. You may look, but do NOT touch."

Gwen really did hear the last final words because she was falling asleep on Kendall's shoulder. _Ugh so… sleepy…_ slapping herself awake she tried to busy her mind with the sights of the window but her thoughts drifted back to her dad. _Maybe he got me the flowers that seems like him to puzzle me with riddles._

-KBSD: TCotCA-

"The Meloka museum was a large building, approximately 5 floors of nothing but history, however the right wing of the structure was lined with the recent jackpot of archeology; the burial pyramid hidden in the Meloka desert." The female tour guide said as the group of students headed into the exhibit. Gwen was walking next to Kick and nudged him, pointing out the decorating banners proclaiming 'Kickankhamun Final resting place'. Her look was one of shock and curiosity, and the boys mirror it. The exhibit was nothing short of breathtaking; tall vaulted ceilings with security cameras littered all over, marble pillars lining the walls and two glass windows located on the left side, letting sunshine bathe the floor. There were glass exhibit boxes placed all around the room, displaying old jars, art and objects of value. A man was standing in the great hall, surrounding a large sarcophagus which was obviously the focal point in the viewing area. He was tall, about 6 feet, dressed in a green shirt, khaki vest, shorts, black socks, brown all-terrain boots and a beige sunhat on top his head.

"Oh, you're in for a treat!" The lady mused as she lead the group towards the figure, "Children, this is Dr. Marcus Axle, an archeologist who discovered this exhibit." AT the sound of his name, the man turned around to reveal his face, covered in 5 o'clock shadow and deep blue eyes. Kick turned to whisper something to Gwen only to see her doe-eyed and speechless.

"Welcome!" He greeted, giving smile that Kick could have sworn he heard Ms. Fitzpatrick sigh, _Ok, that's just wrong… _"I hope you all enjoy the exhibit, do you have any questions?"

A hand rose over the crowd as he called on it, "I actually have a personal question; can I see you in private after we finish the tour?"

"Oh, Dr. Axle is quite busy-" The lady tried to subside the voice, but the doctor waved his hand, to silence her. For a split second, she looked furious before covering up her reaction. Kendall noticed this and furrowed her brow in thought, as Jackie sort of looked oddly at her as well.

"Of course, no problem, if anyone else has a question they may feel free to stay." He said dismissively.

Kendall nudged Kick, "Clarence, did you see her reaction?" She motioned to the tour guide as she recomposed herself.

Kick nodded, "Someone should keep an eye on her-"

"I'll do it!" Jackie said quickly, hoping that her eagerness would win over her crush.

"Good, Gunther?" He looked to his friend who nodded in return.

As the group continued, Gwen and Kick stayed behind, the man's eyes lightening up as he saw the young girl. "Well, hello there miss, what can I do ya for?"

"Dad," She hugged him fondly, "I'm so glad to see you, I thought you would be in Indonesia."

Hugging her back, he smiled, "No such luck, I'll leave it to the amateurs." He directed his gaze to the stout daredevil behind her, "And who is this fella?"

"This is Kick; he's one of my friends from Mellowbrooke." She introduced her friend happily.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Kick nodded in greeting, "Gwen's spoke fondly of you."

"And she has of you as well," He chuckled as Gwen elbowed his gut, giving him a look. "Don't worry; I'm not going say anything." Kick raised an eyebrow to his actions, looking over to the scarlet girl for some explanation, only to be answered with a shrug and faint blush.

"So, whaddya think of the exhibit?" He looked around the room, almost taking pride in his inventory.

"It's very diverse," Gwen commented, "Who's in the sarcophagus?"

The man walked over to the coffin, patting it with his hand, "This is the second jewel of the dig; the sarcophagus of Kickankhamun, you've heard of him?"

"Maybe once or twice," Kick piped in, "What was the first jewel of the dig if this is the second?"

Reaching in his vest pocket he removed a ruby, approximately the size of a river stone, placed on a golden chain necklace. The chain was obviously new, but the gem had an ancient feel to its beauty, sparking in its natural luster.

"I-It's gorgeous." Gwen breathed, her eyes locking on to the precious stone as if it was the greatest treasure in the world, "Where did you find it?"

"Tucked into Kickankhamun's bandages," A split second both kids looked disgusted as he chuckled, "Don't worry I cleaned it off."

"Why would the Pharaoh be mummified with a ruby?" Kick pondered as he stared at the rock, his head growing heavy and pained for some unknown reason; so much that he actually stepped back.

"We believe that it was a special jewel in the royal family, so it makes sense that it was given to him in death."

Kick murmured under his breath, grabbing his head which now throbbed with pain. Red lights entered his vision and he heard strange whispering in his ears.

"I usually keep one thing from the dig; since this is your first trip, I want you to have it." Marcus said proudly as he draped the necklace around her. Gwen looked shocked as she was about to disagree when she suddenly felt strangely comfortable carrying putting on the jewelry.

Half turning to her friend, she spoke lightheartedly, "What do you think Ki- Kick are you ok?" To her he looked ready to pass out, his face burning with color and wincing in pain. _Oh gosh, Kick what's wrong with you? _

The boy was in a state of dystopia, the sounds had gotten louder and the light brighter. Kick peaked open an eye to see Gwen standing before him one second; and then in a split second, a different red haired, green eyed girl stood arm out stretched, a strange piece of jewelry in her palm, a red ruby embedded in the necklace. The action had made the light brighter as he stepped back, away from the emerald eyed girls. His attitude had caught her attention all too well as she contemplated her options to see what could cause this pain. The only variable was the necklace so she hid the gem underneath her shirt. Almost immediately, Kick felt the feelings subside and disappear as mysteriously as they came.

"Kick, can you hear me?" Gwen asked shyly, although she could see he was somewhat better. The boy only nodded, barely giving any other reaction.

"What's gotten into him?" Her father asked, finally noticing the strange change in attitude.

"Oh, it's probably allergies or something. No big."

"Dr. Axle there is something we must talk about," Another man entered the room a fast stride in his walk. He was tall, tanned skin with dark eyes and hair, and his aura wasn't the most pleasant in the world; he radiated in snobbish attitude.

"Ah, Mr. Tyrant, yes-" Axle greeted.

"I'm sorry, I was not aware you had guests." He man mentions blankly, crossing his arms behind his back. Marcus put his hand in Gwen's shoulder, "Mr. Tyrant, this is my daughter, Gwen. Gwen, this is Mr. Ian Tyrant, an Italian scholar who moved here to help my excavation."

"How do you do, sir?" Gwen nodded in respect as she had her arms supporting Kick.

"Charmed, I'm sure." He replied cold heartedly as his tone never changed. "You best get your friend some water, the dust here is killer."

"Right," She escorted the daredevil out, smiling finely, "Good bye, Mr. Tyrant, bye dad."

Gwen could feel his ice cold eyes bury into her back as she left the room.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

After meeting the rest of the group in the museum's cafeteria, Gwen quickly explained the previous events to her friends.

"Something wasn't right about that guy." Gwen observed as she gave Kick the water bottle she had purchased earlier.

"Where's the ruby now?" Kendall asked as the redhead motioned to partly hidden necklace chain in her shirt.

"I don't want to show it," _Should I tell them my theory? No, I wanna research it first_, "I don't think the tour guide would like to see a hunk of rock around my neck that wasn't tree before."

"Speaking of her, there's something wrong with her." Jackie said, "Half way through the tour she started to mumble something under her breath and nearly fainted."

"Something is happening here, something big." Kendall deduced, "What should we do?"

"Well we can't tell the police, were just kids, they'll say were crazy!" Gunther slumped against the table.

Mouth shook his head, "You guys are over reacting! It's all just coincidence; nothing important would happen to a bunch of kids!"

Kick looked down in thought, running through the options in head. After a few moments, he spoke, "We better figure out what's going on, these things wouldn't have happened without a reason. For one, I'd like to learn more about this lady and Mr. Tyrant. Gwen, you and the girls try to find out about the ruby's past. Call it a hunch but I think we'll get our answers."

Everyone agreed in silence, for words would not due the moment justice. Little did they know what that moment of dedication would lead to perhaps the greatest adventure in all of their lives.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Night approached the Meloka Museum as the moon shined its beams of light through the large glass windows in the Kickankhamun exhibit. All was quiet as the time ticked away, nothing disturbing the peace within the marble halls. Out of thin air, two spheres of dark mist appeared in the middle of the room, all technology and security cameras fried and disabled. One, an indigo purple materialized to reveal a developed woman with long, curly, deep violet hair, accessorized with a golden crown with a green gem in the center and blood red eyes. Her body as dressed with a deep scarlet priestess gown, lines with gold, cut lowly on her breast; with golden sandals on her feet and gold jewelry covering her figure. The second, a dark red orb formed a man with chilling black eyes. He wore a roman soldier's uniform with gold breast plate, helmet with a red crest and shoulder pads. Both figures moved toward the coffin located in the center of the room.

"Finally after all these years," The male rasped, "I see the doing of my handy work play in my favor!"

"Patience, my ally," the female commanded, "Let us take what we came for and leave."

Ripping off the lid to the sarcophagus, the villainess peered at the mummified body of the former Pharaoh, covered in deteriorating bandages a gold death mask depicting the boy's face. Chanting, a purple smoke engulfed the body as she sultry laughed. Both figures then left in smoke, leaving the open coffins behind as a sign of their perfect robbery.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Well, chapter three, I hope you enjoyed the update. With midterms coming up, I may write more, it depends. Visit my profile for a link to my deviantart account; I will post some pictures to go along with this story.

Until next time, read on!

-Phoenix


	4. Chapter 4

The Curse of the Crimson Ankh

**Recap: The class gets a private tour of the latest exhibit in Meloka involving Kickankhamun's tomb; meeting Gwen's father in the process. He gives Gwen a ruby found on Kickankhamun's body and Kick seems affected by the gem so they decide to investigate. However, that night, Kickankhamun's sarcophagus was stolen by two mysterious figures! **

Chapter four download in progress… Status complete.

Begin transmission-

Hello there, reviews and guests and welcome to chapter 4 of Crimson Ankh! I appreciate all the advice and I would love to keep 'em coming. So read and enjoy, ciao.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Both teams split of into boys vs. girls scenario; the boys returning to the museum to learn more about the tour guide and archeologist in question while the girls would search the Internet for any information on the necklace. To Kick, there was nothing like the feeling of flying down the busy streets in Egypt, avoiding moving people and jumping ramps; Mouth and Gunther following. He, Gunther and Mouth arrived at the museum to find it swamped with Egyptian police.

"I wonder what's going on." Gunther asked as the boys scanned the scene.

Mouth listened in to an American reporter woman who was on the scene.

"There have been no further comments from the museum pertaining to the theft of the Kickankhamun exhibit's greatest treasure; the mummified body of Kickankhamun. Police say they are baffled by the case as no clues appear to be left by the perpetrators."

"Kickankhamun's body was stolen?" Mouth asked the group, "Who would want to steal a decaying old body?"

Kick's eyes drifted to an alleyway on the side of the museum building, "Let's find out." He whispered determinedly as he led the group down the dark, damp alley.

Following the trash-littered pathway, they discovered the side door to the museum, completely forgotten by the staff. The door was old but solidly built, with no means of easy entrance.

"Now what?" Gunther asked

"I could try to open it," Mouth said examining the lock, "but I'd need a credit card."

Gunther reached in his pocket, pulling out the plastic key card that unlocked him and Kick's hotel room. He offered it to the resourceful dealer "Would this work?"

"It might…" Taking the card, the boy knelt in front of the lock. Sliding the plastic in h maneuvered it for a few seconds before twisting the handle and finding it opening with ease.

"Nice work." Kick complimented as Mouth handed back the card.

"Oh, it was nothin'."

Following the hallway, the boys ducked behind objects every now and then to avoid a guard or staff member in the corridors. They passed a door entitled 'Camera room' and Kick halted the group.

"It might be a good idea to check the cameras." He said, eyeing the doorknob

"Don't you think the police would have done that already?" Mouth said as he walked up to the door, opening it and finding no one inside.

"Me and Gunth will check the exhibit; see if anything popped up on the cameras." Kick and Gunther tip-toed down the hallway, leaving Mouth to do his work alone. The boy entered and hopped up on the chair, looking at all the monitors. They all were blank, no picture. Typing on one clear screen he managed to pull up a staff list and scanned it quickly for the tour guide's name, not surprisingly it wasn't available. _Odd..._ He tried to hack into what footage remained from the previous night but was met with pass-coded firewalls.

_Drat,_ he cursed in his head as he went to leave but stopped when he spotted something behind one of the monitors. He reached his hand behind carefully and removed a strange looking necklace from its hiding place.

_Well, what do we have here…?_

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Kick and Gunther finally found the Kickankhamun exhibit, deserted for some reason. Probably most of the police had gone, with enough evidence they could salvage.

"I'll watch the halls, Kick, look around." Gunther took his post as the daredevil headed toward the taped off area of broken glass. He peered in the empty sarcophagus, seeing no marks, no prints, nothing. He looked up at the vaulted ceilings, spotting several destroyed security cameras either dangling by frail wires or missing entirely.

_Hmmm… I guess the cameras were a waste of time. _Turning to walk back he paused and felt the sudden urge to look in the coffin again.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Mouth examined the golden necklace in his grip. True it could have been a fake but, the experienced man like himself, he had seen fakes before. Something in his gut told him the jewelry was real and was desperately important, but what is it doing in a security office, hidden from plain site. His inspection was cut short when he heard somebody outside the door. Panicking, the scammer stuffed the necklace in his jean pocket and hid under a nearby desk.

The door opened and shut quickly, a rather large security guard snickered as he stood in the room. Reaching in his shirt he removed a dagger, smirking evilly as he chanted, "TELUM DOMINII PERSONA DECRUSTO!" Smoke swirled around the man, changing his figure from over weight to thinner. His attire changed as well, from a uniform to a suit and tie and sunglasses to cover his eyes. Holding up the dagger, he man watched the blade as it began to glow an eerie crimson.

"It has been done, the police are clueless." He sneered; satisfied with the news he was transferring.

Mouth's eyes widened when the weapon responded, "Good, return and we shall prepare the body."

Hiding the dagger in his pant leg, the man's cold eyes moved toward the monitor and felt behind it, looking for something. His actions became more thorough when he discovered the objects disappearance. Mouth took this time to make a run out the door, spotted in the character's peripheral vision.

"HEY, STOP!" he boomed; his voice striking more fear into the kids soul as he quickened his pace, hoping not to be caught by the suspicious figure.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Just taking a glance inside the ancient sarcophagus, Kick discovered a slip of paper lying in the bottom of the casket. _What, but there was nothing in there, I'm sure of it._ Picking up the paper, he observed the markings that littered the strip but couldn't make heads or tails of what it said. _This is weird; I wonder what they mean..._

"KICK, MOUTH'S COMING AND HE'S GOT COMPANY!" Gunther yelled as he sprung to life.

Kick tucked the folded slip into his glove for safe keeping as the duo perched on either side if the doorway.

Mouth busted in panting heavily and was quickly followed by the villainous man that was hot on his tail.

"Give me what's rightfully mine, worm." He spat seriously, eyeing the troublesome dealer.

"Oh, you mean this?" He removed the necklace, smirking as it seemed to enrage the man even more.

"I'll have your head for this!"

"I don't think so." Kick said from behind as he and the Nordic boy ambushed the man knocking him to the ground. Caught, the figure hit the floor hard, falling unconscious to the polished tile.

"Thanks," Mouth retrieved his breath.

"Come on, let's get outta here." Gunther said, proceeding to run for the exit later followed by the daredevil and dealer. The trio ran out of the museum and back to the hotel, not stopping for anything.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Meloka was often known for preserving its history, but what it's not renowned for was its tabs on technology. The girls decided that the web may give more answers to their problem. A large Internet cafe was located on the ground floor of the hotel and was available to all guests. Selecting a modem, the group settled in to work.

"So where do we begin?" Wackie Jackie asked, pulling up a chair for herself, just as some poor gentlemen was sitting down, landing rather awkwardly on his butt.

"Well, I guess the museum website." Kendall sat erect on the chair her typing fingers lined on home row.

"Hold up, I wanna check my email first." Gwen tilted the keyboard to her direction, ignoring the eye roll she received from the blonde girl. Typing in search engine, a certain news article struck her attention, "The Meloka Museum was robbed?" She read aloud in shock, catching the attention of her two friends.

Clicking for further details, Gwen allowed her eyes to follow the writing digitized into the latest news section. Jackie and Kendall leaned over her shoulders as she spoke aloud.

"'Police are referring it as the crime of the year. Last night, suspects broke into the museums flawless security systems and took the mummified body of the legendary Boy-king Kickankhamun. No leads have developed since the discovery earlier this morning.' That's just creepy."

"Yeah, we go see the exhibit one time and the next it's gone," Jackie said eerily, "vanished in a puff of smoke."

"It can't just vanish, it had to have been moved somewhere." Kendall supposed as Gwen moved to another link that concerned Kickankhamun himself.

"What do we know about Kickankhamun?" The blonde took a pen out of her bag and began to take notes.

"Kickankhamun was one of the last pharaohs in Egypt, about 5000 years ago. He took the throne at the age of ten, after his father died. He had a queen about his age named Akila, but no children. His death was sudden and grieved the people deeply; shortly later the Roman Empire succeeded shortly after and led to the fall of Egypt as the largest empire in the world." Jackie listed the facts, counting off her fingers. Gwen mentally checked to keep her from appearing shocked, she had no idea Jackie was so… smart.

"Wait, the Roman Empire grew after his death?" Gwen felt something strike a chord at that unknown fact. _If Octavius had been a part of the Roman army, was their meeting designed to lead to the Kickankhamun's death? Were they behind the assassination plot to kill him? _

"Yeah and… wasn't there something about a slave girl?" Jackie left the sentence hanging without a true answer.

"Yes, Kamilah, she was a gift to Kickankhamun from the Roman general Octavius Axelaneous." Gwen filled in as she read the screen.

"Who gives their child away to be a slave under the enemy leader?" Jackie asked, kind of disgusted at the thought.

"Well, it shows one's trust, and slaves were a powerful influence on society back then." Kendall answered as her face grew suspicious, "Or maybe there was another reason. Maybe Kamilah was a spy for the Roman Army."

"What?" Gwen asked incredibly, "Why would she do that?"

"She was a roman right? So maybe she traded her freedom for whereabouts on the pharaoh." Kendall scribbled on the paper in front of her, almost excited at the idea.

The scarlet haired girl only shook her head, the idea made sense but for some reason her intuition was telling her something else. "Kamilah would never do that, she had no true motive to kill the boy king."

"Well, it's a theory," The bookworm felt a bit upset that Gwen come out and try to deny her thought, "Everyone can have their opinion."

Gwen turned back to the monitor, a picture catching her eye of a thick book. "Huh, look at this." She began to read, "One of the great lost items of Kickankhamun's tomb is the legendary Book of the Dead. The Book of the Dead is a manuscript that was believed to contain spells and rituals designed to either contact or awaken the underworld. It was thought to be so dangerous it was given to the pharaoh for safe keeping and passed down from generation to generation. However the book had become untraceable around 5000 years ago; some believe it was stolen by the priests to learn about its powers."

"The Book of the Dead, sounds fantastic, a case like this isn't complete without some lost artifact." The brunette mused as her straightened her glasses.

"Could the book have something to do with Kickankhamun's death?" Kendall wondered.

"I don't know, I guess it's possible." Gwen said, beginning to turn away from the computer, when Jackie stopped her.

"Wait, look at this-" she read, "A suspect of the book's theft was the priestess Septaria, a prodigy of the famous Hafsah, the sun priestess. It was believed that she was a conjurer of dark spells, and had a personal vendetta against the kingdom. One night she was spotted conspiring with a Roman solider after the king's death in the temple of Isis. The myth says that the goddess began so enraged that she turned the two into spirits, forced to float within her temple for eternity for their devious actions." Jackie stopped and looked at her friends, "Maybe these people had killed the pharaoh!"

"A priestess and a roman solider, sound like an unlikely combination." The blonde continued her notes as Gwen scrolled down.

"There's more…" Gwen's eyes locked onto the small drawing of Kickankhamun, her attention leaning toward an ankh necklace embedded with a crimson gem draped around his neck. "The Pharaoh was said to have possessed a special ankh that gifted his royal status. This necklace was known commonly as the Ankh of power with the Ruby of passions. This was proclaimed as a gift from the gods and was desired by everyone who has ever seen it. Some believe that the necklace is connected to the Book of the Dead; that if the wearer were to read a passage of the book the necklace would change that passage into reality."

"Wow, it must have been beautiful to catch everyone's attention." Kendall remarked, "The legend bothers me though…" Gwen mentally concurred, _Yeah, wait, could the gift from my dad be the-_

The girls lost their focus as another group burst in the frosted glass doors, making a b-line for their feminine counterparts.

"Guys, what happened, where have you been?" Kendall asked as the boys screeched to a halt; a taking a moment to catch their fleeting breaths.

"We stopped in the- museum- only to find it crawling with police. So we- snuck in and got- chased by this guy- he has to be partly behind the robbery." Mouth spilled as he panted.

"What did he look like?" Gwen also asked as Kick finally brought his heart rate back to normal.

"One word-Tyrant." He said as the others came back from oxygen starvation.

"Mr. Tyrant? I knew we couldn't trust that guy, he just reeks evil!" The emerald eyed girl slammed her fist on the chair's armrests.

"Tyrant?" Jackie echoed, "Whatta name."

"He's my dad's latest excavation partner, he's a total freak." Gwen summed up quickly. Turning back to the male spies, she folded her hands like a villain and leaned back in the chair, "Anything else to report, my eyes?"

"Two things," Kick shook his head to her playful actions, counting on his yellow gloved digits, "One, Mouth was telling us he found an artifact apparently stolen from Kickankhamun's exhibit."

"Let's see it," Gwen urged the blonde boy as he carefully removed the bundle from his jean pocket. The girls gasped when the golden ankh dangled in front of their faces. Ironically, it was similar- no- the exact same to the Ankh of Power.

"That's the Ankh of Power!" Jackie emphasized by pointing at the object.

"The- what?" Gunther questioned, kinda missing the whole conversation.

"The second thing was I found this at the crime scene," Kick removed the paper from his glove and handed it to Kendall who extended her hand.

After inspecting the slip, Kendall explained her results, "Okay odd coincidence #1: This is written on Papyrus with some kind of ancient ink;"

"Papyrus? You mean like stationary?" Gunther piped in as the blonde denied with a shake of her head.

"No, this is actual ancient papyrus; the materials can't be modern. Odd coincidence #2: This language is ancient Egyptian."

"No joke, legit hieroglyphics?" Gwen blinked as her forest green eyes widened in the excitement of the moment.

"Yes, but, unfortunately I can't translate it." Kendall passed the script to Gunther.

Kick was beside himself; this quest left more questions than answers. _Ugh, is all this just a waste of time?_ Awkwardly, a voice responded, similar to his-

_No._

"We can't let anyone know we have this; people may think we robbed the museum!" Jackie muttered nervously.

"She's right," Kick rasped, perking the brunette up a bit, "One of us should keep it."

"Well I can't, my roommate is about as nosy as I am." Mouth scoffed.

"I'll take it; Gunth and I share a room." Kick extended his hand and took the necklace.

"Well, I'm up for some lunch, anybody want to join me?" The Nordic boy offered as his stomach released a loud growl.

"I could do that." Jackie agreed as Mouth and Kendall nodded. Kick didn't have any real pockets to hide the Ankh so he draped it over his helmet, tucking it under his jumpsuit, nearly shivering as the cold jewelry touched his bare skin. They all set off for the cafe when Kick felt his arm be held back. Turning his head, he came face to face with Gwen. She whispered into his ear, her hot breath teasing the surface.

"Meet me in my room tomorrow night, when Kendall and Jackie leave for the excavation site. There's something I want to talk about." Kick nodded but was mentally on the verge of a nervous breakdown. _Gwen wants to see me, alone, with no one else around. Now don't be so ignorant, she could want to talk about anything..._ His eyes locked to the ground, his face flushing, _I hope it involves us... _

-KBSD: TCotCA-

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST IT?" The woman screamed in rage as she tightened her delicate hands into fists. "Just how exactly are we supposed to perform the ceremony, without the Ankh of Power? Also the Ruby of Passion was not in the stock of artifacts preserved in the museum, we have nothing- NOTHING!"

The male calmly folded his arms in a defensive posture, "The boy managed to obtain the necklace, but that was expected." He walked over to the pool and touched the surface of the murky water. The woman followed and grew surprised to see Kick holding the necklace of their power.

"I-I'm impressed, but how does this help us find the Ruby of Passions?"

"The Ankh of Power will be drawn to the Ruby by all means, with one small strike we can eliminate our enemies and claim what is rightfully ours." He smirked as it was rare that he ever out-smart the priestess.

"Yes, this also solves the other dilemma." The woman turned around and moved toward the large alter where the bandaged body of Kickankhamun lay.

"What other dilemma?" He asked, his voice dropping an octave at the unknown information.

"I was processing the pharaoh's internal organs when I came to the conclusion that the kings' voice box is missing."

The man shook his head in disbelief, "How do we expect him to read WITHOUT a voice?"

"I have thought of that, and I assure you I have a plan." The woman cackled as she gazed at the immobile body of the Pharaoh she once served. "We must meet this 'Kick Buttowski' and when we do," Her eyes narrowed against the burning torchlight, "nothing will stand in our way."

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Holy crap, long chapter… whew. So that is it, I hope you all thought this was worth the wait. Many things happened and I am eager to start the next part.

So tell me what you thought! Like it? Hate it? Cake or Pie? Cat or dog? Anyway Read and Review, gracias.

Until next time, bye!

Phoenix

-Transmission ended-


	5. Chapter 5

The Curse of the Crimson Ankh

**Recap: Our characters split into two teams and each went on their own investigation. Mr. Tyrant seems to be evil, and there are more questions than answers, however a magical Ankh of Power is saved! The figures of darkness seem to be hatching a plan of dastardly proportions, what will happen? **

Chapter five is herrrrrrrrreeeeee, yea-ah! Ok so, this is celebration point for the story, we seem to be nearing the halfway point. So, this is good, very good.

With Valentine's Day coming up, I have a special idea for a new story line. I can't give away any specifics; I can guarantee it will be mysterious and exciting, look for it soon!

Here it is, enjoy!

-KBSD: TCotCA-

The sun rose over the horizon, bathing the city in a bright glow of dry heat. The rays creeped through the window of the hotel room 125, daring to reach the eyes of the sleeping Guinevere. She awoke, blinking her lids to adjust to the light as she sat up. Kendall and Jackie were filling their backpacks with extra clothes, books and any other necessities that might be helpful for their trip that afternoon to the excavation site.

"Morning, sleeping beauty, for a second I thought you were unconscious." Kendall greeted as she closed her green backpack. Gwen yawned, partially asleep before removing the quilt from atop her.

"Morning, Ken, did I miss breakfast?"

"Yes, but Jackie is running downstairs for some more, so don't worry." The blonde smiled as she looked at the green eyed girl's bedhead, "You need a brush, bad."

"Yeah…" Gwen agreed, smiling, running her fingers through her rats-nest of red silk. "Since were alone, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." She nodded, sitting next to her on the bed.

Gwen brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, looking down at her lap, "Am I… pretty?"

The question perplexed the listener, her blue eyes blinking quickly; considering her to repeat for clarity. Biting her lip, Kendall tilted her head to the side, looking at the cocooned girl as she turned her jade orbs to face her.

"What do… you think?" Her arm extended to touch her exposed shoulder from where the strap of her pajama gown slipped off. Gwen looked up toward the ceiling and sniffled, calming down,

"I don't know… it's so weird. It's like I don't know who I am, I'm so tired and I swear I'm having mood swings." Gwen looked at her friend, her emerald eyes seeming to lose their iconic luster.

Kendall frowned, feeling quite horrible for her roommate and rubbing her back to show some kind of sympathy. _The_ _poor girl, she's having a mid-life crisis at 12, ah the irony. _Her thoughts were interrupted when a sparkle held her glance. A gold chain caught her attention, "Is that the Ruby of Passion still on your neck?" She questioned in curious disbelief.

Gwen looked down, holding the jem in the palm of her hand, the red several shades darker than before. "Yeah… After the museum was robbed, I never felt safe taking it off, so I kept it on."

"We know the ruby is magical, maybe the ruby has some kind of draining affect." Kendall suggested, "Just take it off for a while."

Gwen felt her stomach cramp at the thought of removing the necklace from her body. She couldn't wrap her head around why, but something told her NOT to take it off. It scared her, quite seriously for the matter. She couldn't bear herself to speak so the redhead numbly nodded in recognition. Kendall lifted her chin so their eyes met, and she offered a small, honest smile which Gwen mirrored thankfully.

CRASH, BANG, SMASH!

"Aw, man!" The high-pitched voice of Ms. Wackerman came through the dry walls. As the ruckus erupted from the hallway the blonde ran out of the door to investigate the trouble, leaving the depressed girl alone.

Gwen sighed, standing to her feet, stretching her aching muscles awake from her night of poor sleep. That's the part she didn't tell Kendall, she hadn't been sleeping, the dreams were too horrific. They're too horrific to be nightmares; the heat, the pain, the strange symbols the pass in front of her eyelids as she slumbers. _It's insane, bloody insane… _Gwen's eyes turned down to the necklace of her confusion and held up to glare into it, almost asking it for an explanation. Staring into the abyss of crimson, sounds began to murmur in her ears, tiny whispers tickling her ear drums so soft she couldn't make them out. Bringing the ruby closer, almost in a trance, it began to radiate a bold cerise, filling her eyes with color. The voice became clearer and she blinked to see a figure inside the precious stone, an actual person inside the ruby!

The image was a girl, a familiar girl with bold green eyes and red braided ponytail. Her thin arms were banging on the invisible fourth wall located inside the Ruby of Passions, trapped in a translucent prism. The voice was distinguishable now, playing in tune with the figures moving lips and pleading expression.

_Help… me…._

Gwen pulled herself out of her hypnotic moment, shaking her head to be rid of her period of insanity. Looking at the mirror, she shivered at the physical relations between the stranger and herself. _She looked just like me, a vision of my future maybe?_

Looking down, her eyes drifted to the vase of blue lotuses that was delivered to her days ago. _How could I just forget about them? I'd better check the card._ Removing the card from the soil it was rooted in, she opened the folded paper that absorbed the smell of the lotus like an aromatic sponge. Instead of her father's name, like she had predicted; her eyes were met with a series of symbols, written from top to bottom. _They look like… hieroglyphics, Egyptian Hieroglyphics._

Out of the corner of the girl's peripheral, the ankh began to glow again within her palm. The pictures suddenly became animated and began deforming into letters of the English alphabet. Her eyes widened as the transformation occurred but didn't scream, no matter how much she begged her shocked lips to do so.

_Ok that was creepy…_

Now the pictures had fully stopped shifting and her nerves regained their grip on reality. The words formed clear words- words that she spoke aloud for curiosity's sake as if the images would dance once more.

"Come to me-"

Suddenly the papyrus lit aflame in her hands, nearly burning her hands. Dropping the paper, Gwen watched in awe as the paper fell to the carpeted floor, illumining the room in a bright golden glow of heavenly light. The light condensed and swirled, forming a large ring in mid-air.

_Whoa,_ the redhead thought as cautiously stepped closer, examining the strange portal; _this is so… cool! Where does it go?_

Slowly, she extended her arm out, reaching to touch the enchanting entity; _it won't hurt to just touch it… _

As soon as her fingertips brushed the liquid velvety texture, the portal changed from warm and inviting to dark and foreboding. The light darkened into a dark indigo shade, chilling Gwen's spine at the mere look of its presence. Suddenly, a ghostly hand came through the swirling purple hole, aiming straight for her

Gwen released a scream as the appendage wrapped firmly around her, dragging her into the portal where no-doubt the horrific creature was. In her struggle, she dropped the ruby on the ground, marking where she once stood. A final scream escaped her before she was pulled, unwillingly into the indigo door; then vanishing along with it in a puff of smoke.

The two Mellowbrooke girls re-entered the suite, Kendall scowling at Jackie as she wiped syrup from her cheek.

"You have to be more careful, Jackie, you nearly destroyed that vase!"

"Eh, they're a dime a dozen, no big," Jackie went into the bathroom to t properly removed the sticky substance from her cheek. The blonde only sighed, shaking her head; she caught sight of a red gem lying on the floor, a familiar rock once held by her friend. Picking it up, she became concerned when her eyes could not find Gwen anywhere.

_Huh, where'd she go? She was here minutes ago- I was out in the hallway so she didn't leave. _

The obsessed preteen excited the bathroom with a cloth towel in her hands, "Kendall, where's Gwen?" The girl asked, noticing the lack of person in the room.

The bookworm slowly turned and looked at her roommate, a worried expression plastered on her face, "I don't know… You'd better call Kick and Gunther, I have a bad feeling she's in trouble."

-KBSD: TCotCA-

In the darkness, Gwen felt herself fall on a flat surface she assumed was ground. Climbing to her knees, the nightgown clad girl rubbed her head, trying to fight her wavering stomach's command to be emptied. A light burned out of nowhere, letting the green-eyed youth gain some knowledge of her surroundings. She was currently kneeling on a rather tidy dirt floor; in front of a large alter of gold and precious jewels, a human like figure resting on the top surface. This, this looks like a... Burial chamber.

"That's what it is, my dear Guinevere."

The girl became even more frightened when she heard a strange, feminine voice emit from behind her. Slowly turning around, the girl met a tall, menacing-looking woman with thick, indigo, curly hair and covetous red eyes.

"H-How did you know what I was-"

"-Thinking?" The woman questioned in an innocent manner, "Simple, you have a very strong presence-at least mentally anyway."

Gwen stood, brushing the dirt and dust off her nightie. _Great, freaky woman who can read minds, just great... _"Just what am I doing here?"

"Ah, yes-" Her thin, long fingers snapped, the sound echoing around the room as the girl slightly jumped, feeling a sword come around her neck. A larger figure came behind her, keeping her from bolting away. _Crap…_

"You my dear, have great influence, do you know that?" The villainess sneered as she inspected the trapped maiden, tilting her chin up in the torchlight.

Gwen narrowed her eyes, bluntly not answering for she already guessed this wasn't just an interrogation; it was a kidnapping.

_Fantastic, just when I thought Ivan had given up. _

The woman turned away, raising her arms as the unidentifiable light source brightened; enlightening the large catacombs she was now prisoner of. It was much larger than before and the walls were covered in hieroglyphics of several dark colors, perfectly preserved for thousands of years. It was really breath-taking sight; if it wasn't so difficult for her to breathe with a cold, sharp piece of metal pressed near her throat.

"What do want from me?" Gwen spat furiously as the villainess halted in mid step. Turning around, a smirk grew on her violet lips, an all-knowing smile that sent chills down her barely clothed spine.

"You are worthless to us girl," She replied easily, turning toward the large cauldron before the group, boiling and bubbling with a strange lime green, toxic-appearing liquid. Her hand reached in the humongous pot, barely touching the surface as it clouded up and revealed a familiar scene where 4 kids looked to be discussing something of great importance. Her look of evil grew as the image centered in on a certain red-and-white clothed daredevil, "This is the one we are after."

The hostage felt her green eyes go wide and her stomach turn in on itself, "I-m bait?"

"That's correct." Her blood red eyes shifted to the boy, who appeared to be worried, talking frantically, "Now to send the instructions…"

-KBSD: TCotCA-

"Where could she have gone, it's not like she can just vanish!" Kick said, worriedly as he was cradling his helmeted head in his hands, the Ankh of Power dangling around his neck. _The day she has something to tell me, she disappears, figures._

"I don't know, she was here one second, but gone the next," Kendall explained, nervously gripping the jewel in her hand, "All that was behind was this."

"Kendall, we leave for the trip in a few hours," Jackie was pacing now, her hair bouncing with each step.

"Well, what do we do?" Gunther asked as he was met with only silence. Kendall growled in frustration, tossing the Ruby of passion on the bed next to Kick, running her hands through her pin-straight blonde hair. Everyone was consumed in thought while Kick had to hold himself together from letting tears leak out of his eyes.

_Gwen, I hope you're okay. Just send me a sign, something to let me know you're still alive, please. _

_Please._

Through his closed eye lids, Kick could feel the red gem beside him begin to glow. Opening his eyes, looking to the side, the Ruby of Passion was glimmering brightly, almost rattling on the soft covers of the bed. Everyone stared as the ruby leapt to meet the golden ankh, locking in place perfectly. A warm, red-gold beam filled the room as Kick felt heat rush through his veins.

**Wish...** A voice beckoned to him, **Call for your friend...**

"Kick?" Gunther questioned to his best friend as he struggled to see beyond the blinding light.

The daredevil tried to respond, however nothing came to mind. His mind drifted to Gwen; her bright, caring smile and her breath-taking emerald eyes. _I'd give anything to have her back,_ Kick thought, _anything._

**So be it. **

"KICK!" Jackie screamed in horror as smoke began to engulf the room, causing the four kids to cough violently before passing out on the carpeted floor.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

The darkness swirled in front of Kick's eyelids as he regained consciousness. Looking around, he barely registered his location; only to be surrounded by dim torch light. He blinked, though his head pounded like a thousand jackhammers beating on concrete. His vision cleared as he stood; to find himself alone. No Gunther, Kendall or Jackie; he wasn't sure whether to be thankful for the last absence.

"Clarence Buttowski," He jumped at the sound of his name being boomed in the blackness, "what a wonderfully, unplanned coincidence."

He turned defensively as he saw the violet villainess standing some distance away from him; on the stone steps of a golden alter. She smiled wickedly as he turned fully to face the stranger.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"My, you ask many questions," The woman tutted as she sauntered down the stairs, "Then again; boys have a reputation for being curious little things, don't they? My name is Septaria; the priestess of Sept, god of the underworld."

Kick crossed his arms, slightly offended by the cruel lady's words could strike him.

"It's quite simple dear-" Kick watched as she motioned to the mummified body lying on its back on the golden surface, "The pharaoh needs a new voice, and you are the perfect donor."

"Me? My voice?" Kick pointed to himself, "No way!"

"I was afraid this would be one of those situations…" Septaria snapped her fingers and Kick's blue eyes caught sight of a figure in the dark come forward, chained to a young girl, dirtied but mainly unharmed.

"KICK!" Gwen yelled in fear and anxiety, struggling against the metal chains on her bonded wrists. The man yanked back, keeping her in place like a wild animal. She groaned, glaring at the man in spite, before returning her look to the boy.

"Now I'm quite sure you wouldn't want to see your friend fed to the crocodiles. I'm offering you a second chance, your voice or her life."

Kick gazed at Gwen while she returned his pleading beg, their eyes mixing a turquoise color. Kick sighed, grunting, "Fine."

"NO, Kick don't- MMMPH!" Gwen's cries were muffed by the cloth tied firmly around her mouth.

With a flick of the woman's wrist, a scroll appeared in front of Kick, the writing penned with dreary black ink.

_I, Clarence, do hereby grant the priestess of Sept my voice, in exchange for the fair maiden, Guinevere, safe return_

A dotted line was marked with an X for him to sign with a feather quill that magically appeared in his hand.

"Sign and it will be done." She sneered as the daredevil winced, looking away and autographed the document, the black spelling a doomed 'Kick'. As soon as his pen left contact with the paper, it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Excellent, this won't hurt for a moment." Septaria touched each pressure point on Kick's neck, murmuring inaudible words as Kick felt a strange sensation bubble in his throat. Immediately she jumped back, screeching as Kick watched the Ankh of Power glow from under his jumpsuit. The priestess looked at the object in pure rage then slowly changing to a wicked grin. Grabbing the necklace, she yanked the chain breaking away from the boy's neck, then resumed her position. A few moments later Kick's mouth was forced open as a little swirl that symbolized Kick's voice exited his mouth, hovering over to Septaria's waiting hand. Kick grasped his throat, falling to his knees as no sound came from his mouth.

_No, oh Kick… _Gwen closed her eyes, feeling Kick's pain in her.

"There, now that wasn't so bad, was it?" She stared at the necklace dangling from her neck, before summoning two anthromorphic guards; one a crocodile and another a cat head. Tyrannus shoved Gwen next to her friend as her chains were handed to the croc.

"Take them to the dungeon, separate them from their friends." Septaria ordered as the two children were dragged away. Turning to face her partner, she grinned evilly as she examined the Ankh of Power combined with the Ruby of Passion, "See, Tyrannus, good things come to those who are patient."

He only grunted in return.

"Let us prepare for the ceremony tonight, soon all shall be ours again my friend." Smiling she turned to the mummified boy-king, "Make note of this, Pharaoh, this moment marks the promise of your resurrection."

-KBSD: TCotCA-

The two children were tossed in a mud brick catacomb together. The croc undid Gwen's chains as he slapped her across the face to send her down. Kick winced at the echoing assault but was too weak to do anything. The wooden door was replaced as Gwen stared at it angrily, before looking toward her friend. Crawling on all fours, she sat next to Kick who was still stroking his aching throat, his face contorted with pain. She rested his head on her lap, forcing herself not to cry at their unfortunate situation.

"Oh Kick…" She whispered in his ear as she touched his cheek, trying to comfort him.

_Gwen, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you. _He couldn't speak but his eyes were so expressional it was like reading a book when she looked into his cerulean orbs. _Now what do we do? _

"I don't know, Kick…" Gwen sighed looking up toward the heavens, "I really don't know."

-KBSD: TCotCA-

YES, Chapter 5 is done! Sorry for the wait, I hope it's worth it. So what will happen now? Nothing looks good for our heroes. Stay tuned and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

-Phoenix


	6. Chapter 6

The Curse of the Crimson Ankh

**Recap: Gwen was kidnapped by Septaria and Tyrannus to force Kick to give up his voice. Septaria also took the Ankh of Power combined with the Ruby of Passions. What happened to the others and how will they all get out of this mess? **

(Hides face in shame) Hello everybody, before you all pelt me with tomatoes first let me say how sorry I am for not updating sooner. Life kind of got in the way and I've been through a lot over the past month.

It doesn't matter, cuz I'm here now and I will not forsake my reviews any longer! So here is Chapter 6, enjoy!

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Kendall moaned as she started to come to, the blackness breaking with dim torchlight waking her. Blinking her cerulean eyes, she propped herself up on her elbows examining the surrounding area. Everyone else was there, lying around still unconscious. Sitting up, she touched the side of her head as pain erupted from her temples. Her memories were something like a blur, a jumbled mess of images and voices, and after a few minutes it cleared. Soon everyone else awoke as well.

"Ugh, where are we?" Mouth moaned as her sat up.

"I don't know." She replied, standing up and brushing a mixture of dirt and sand from her sweater.

"Wait- where's Kick? He was with us wasn't he?" Jackie asked, frantically looking around.

"You're friends are alive- for now." A new voice echoed through the chamber, spooking the children as they looked around of hopefully catch a glance at whatever made the vocals. In a flash of light and smoke, the two kidnappers appeared within the room, a smirk upon Septaria's face while Tyrannus held his usual blank expression.

"W-Who are you?" Mouth asked, feeling his knees shaking and fearing they would buckle right there.

"Forget that, what have you done with my Kick you witch?" Jackie demanded the elder as her fist clenched. She would have jumped at the woman if Gunther hadn't such an impressive grip on her shoulders.

"That's no way to speak to your superiors." The violet haired priestess tutted, "Fear not, your precious Clarence is unharmed for the most part."

"What does that mean?" Kendall asked boldly yet worriedly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Well, let's say, he won't be able to speak for quite some time," She smirked, feeling the tension grow as the eight eyes glared emotions containing a mixture of worry to anger at her. Ignoring the blunt looks, the villainess twirled her index finger within the stale air; drawing various swirls shapes. Mere moments later, a purple shaded portal appeared to the right, hovering above the ground while crackling spark flew of every few minutes.

"You are collateral damage to us." She mused, motioning to the portal, "We're offering you one chance to leave now."

"WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITHOUT KICK!" Jackie was burning red in anger, steam close to blowing out her ears.

Septaria looked curious and soon smiled evilly, "You all must desperate to help your friends, perhaps you would fight for them?"

"What are you proposing?" Kendall asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Trial of worthiness:" She spoke seriously, "Pass it and I will release your friends."

"What if we don't pass?" Mouth asked nervously, shaking slightly.

"Why, that's simple," Her blood red stare embedded in the boy's eyes, "You'll die."

The chatty boy felt his hair stand upon end and audibly gulped, obviously not happy to hear that outcome.

"WE'LL DO IT, FOR KICK!" The obsessed brunette declared, earning a smirk from the priestess and even a small chuckle from the stone-silent solider standing just behind her.

"Very well, best of luck-" The priestess snapped her fingers as a trap door opened beneath the four kids, sending them screaming down into the black unknown, "-You're going to need it."

-KBSD: TCotCA-

The gang slid down several different paths, crisscrossing and flying through space of flashes of torch-light and darkness. The vines littered the walls with cracks and small insects filled some areas as the individuals zoomed by. Several screams, mostly female and one strangely high-pitched male rang out as the shoots lead to their mystery destination.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

The group soon entered a large pit and landed on a large, square shaped, teetering platform. The sudden weight caused the structure to wobble and scare the four instantly, their bodies sliding to the corners dangerously close to the edge. Finally righting themselves the kids realized their added weight had balanced out and the top had become steady again.

"What the heck is this?" Mouth screamed uneasily.

Kendall scrunched her brows in thought, "It's a bobby trap, probably built to outwit tomb raiders."

"But we're not robbing anything!" Jackie stomped angrily, upsetting the distribution on the century old security system.

"JACKIE, calm down!" Gunther warned, worried about her safety. Everyone held their breath as the wacky fan slowly eased back into position.

"How do we get out of here?" Mouth asked carefully after a few moments of silence had past.

Gunther looked around to see an object a few feet away from then dangling by the wall. It appeared to be a ladder of some kind- a ladder made of bones. "Hey guys, look- a ladder!" The group turned in place to see the only hope of escape. Mouth made a dash for it, but the equilibrium was off and he stumbled back in place.

"It's a balance test!" Kendall said at last, her eyes lighting up, "We have to keep our weight balanced or else the whole thing will fall off!"

"So that's what she meant by failing and dying…" Gunther muttered as he watched a pebble fall of the edge and soar down for miles to certain doom.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Kick opened his eyes to the darkness of the cell as the memories came back to him in a tidal wave. He was pleased to feel the throat pain gone, but that still didn't help his guilt a he looked at the now sleeping Gwen's wounds. She had some on her wrists from the chains that once kept her captive and the red mark on her face hadn't quite faded away yet. Ice blue eyes melted at the sight of the fiery red blaze of hair splayed out of its usual pony tail and enlightened her with a fiery halo. She looked breath-taking to him- like she always was since he first met her. The daredevil let out a soundless sigh and turned to look at the wall only to be surprised to see it covered in hieroglyphics. Even more curiously- he could understand them. Something just clicked in his mind and the translation came simply to him.

If you want to have your voice back, you must look to past and right the wrong.

-Kamilah

Kick began to shake Gwen awake, desperate for her to see the message as well. However as she came to and saw the writing her expression showed more confusion.

"What is this…?" She mumbled standing up to move towards the wall. Kick then realized only he could translate the scripture, It must be some effect of Septaria's spell.

Quickly, Kick managed to get Gwen's attention and wrote what the translation in the dirt, causing Gwen to perk in understanding.

"You can read them?" He nodded in reply, "That's amazing, but what was wronged in the past?" Gwen took a place next to the mute daredevil as they both thought.

Soon, green irises lit up in realization, "The pharaoh's murder! If we can right his death, then he may be able to help us!"

Then why would Kamilah give us the message? Kick inscribed in the ground.

Gwen pondered then snapped, "Wait- Kamilah and Kickankhamun were friends right? Then maybe it's both their deaths we need to fix! If we can her death, then she will help us help the pharaoh!"

Kick nodded, agreeing with her completely.

"Now we need to find Kamilah's body: that should be the first step… Yet we don't know where it is."

Kick and Gwen were drawn to the wall again to see the writing changed-

I am placed where all servants lie after death- with their master.

Kick snapped his fingers in realization, and Gwen gasped, "THE BURIAL CHAMBER!"

-KBSD: TCotCA-

"So… what do we do now?" Mouth gulped as their situation turned deadly.

"We need to get to the center!" Kendall said, taking command, "Everyone: take one step to the center-"

Jackie steeped to early nearly sending Kendall into the black abyss. The blonde screamed before Jackie backed up. Still looking white as a sheet she added, "-on my word."

Jackie couldn't help but smile at Kendall's silly reaction; it chalked up one silent win against all the times Kendall and Kick were together.

"Ok," Kendall calmed down and gained her color back, "1-2-3!"

Everyone took a step forward and the prism remained balanced.

"Again!"

They repeated the steps until the group formed a ring in the center, linking hands for support.

"Ok, step two:" Kendall said shaking with fear and excitement, "One of us has to move toward the ladder, while the rest of us balances the weight by going to the opposite corner."

Mouth nodded, "I'll go first."

The three stood there in shock, they didn't think Mouth would be so… brave.

Mouth let go of Kendall's and Gunther's hands and headed slowly for the ladder of human remains, the others backing up to control the prism's equilibrium. Gulping audibly, the mouthy boy leapt onto the ladder which, surprisingly, held his weight. The three others scrambled to get to the center, breathing a sigh in unison when the teetering stopped. The blonde boy pulled himself up to a small ledge that peaked into the chasm. After flashing a thumbs-up to show he was alright, Kendall went next and the process was repeated.

Mouth scrunched his face while helping Kendall onto the ledge, "I just thought…" He commented as her blue eyes looked over at him, "If there are two people left on the trap then who will help the last person across? They'll be stuck there forever."

Kendall bit her lower lip, seriously regretting not taking that small fact into account. Who would stay behind, Gunther or Jackie?

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Back in the prison cell, Gwen had begun to formulate a plan of escape. She sat on the ground, drawing out ideas so kick could see them and make comments. Both communicated until they were disturbed by the sound of the guards shuffling outside the door. They both listened intently as a soft, feminine voice seemed to emanate from the hall before the door suddenly opened. Confused but cautious, the two friends left the room to see the guards unconscious but alive on the floor as if they were asleep. A bright red dot of light hovered in the hall and headed down the passage. Kick and Gwen only exchanged a look of curiosity before the red-haired girl took the boy's yellow-gloved hand and lead him down the corridor; simply going on her gut feeling that told her to follow the light.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Jackie and Gunther were clenched together, the air around them getting heavier.

"You're turn, Jackie." Gunther turned to look at her seriously.

Jackie willed her body to move before a similar thought popped in her one-track-mind, "Wait, you'll be stuck here!"

Gunther closed his eyes wearily. He knew about the choice as soon as Kendall proposed the plan, but he wouldn't let Jackie be the one to stay behind- not while he could offer himself in her place.

"Just GO!" He pushed her to the other side and eased back. Jackie by default made her way up to the ledge but turned to see near tears pricking her eyes at the thought of leaving him there.

"GUNTHER!" Mouth called from the back of the cave, "We found a statue to balance you're weight!" He and Kendall came into view, rolling a gold painted statue.

The statue rolled across the prism and Gunther's face grew determined and focused. He got up to speed, jumped the statue and grabbed the ladder. The prism had list balance by this disturbance and tumbled into the falling darkness around them. Gunther turned to see it fall, the force sucking his breath away as he felt a set of hands touch his. Looking up, his brown eyes met the blue sapphires of Jackie Wackerman, currently helping him up onto solid ground.

"Gunther that was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" She said in total excitement as she pulled him in a tight, bear hug. He only reply was a simple, "It was nothing" and blush across his chubby face.

Kendall could only sigh in adoration at the scene while Mouth simply held back the urge to hurl.

"Hey, Look!" Mouth said to end the sappy moment, "Stairs!"

The group turned to see a cobweb passageway, with light coming from inside.

"Where do they go?" Jackie asked aloud.

"Where all stairs go," Gunther stood and headed up the way bravely, "They go up."

-KBSD: TCotCA-

"The time is near." Septaria noted as she stood over the mummified Pharaoh's body, the Ankh of power hung from her neck. Tyrannus stood across from her, his eyes looking up at the opening in the ceiling where the moonlight near engulfed them. The timing needed be perfect in order for this to work flawlessly. The priestess flipped pages in the Book of the Dead, preparing for the ceremony.

And it began.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Well that's chapter 6! What will happen with the final encounter? Can our heroes stop the villains from taking over the world?

Find out next chapter... If I get enough reviews.

Ciao

-Phoenix


	7. Chapter 7

The Curse of the Crimson Ankh

**Recap: Jackie, Gunther, Kendall and Mouth had just escaped the death trap set by our villains. Kick and Gwen have escaped their prison cell with hopes of avenging the murders of two Egyptians. Septaria and Tyrannus are preparing to awaken the pharaoh boy, Kickankhamun. What will happen when they all collide?**

Hi there! Chapter 7 is here! Thanks to all my people who reviewed: SariSpy56 and notalivezombie, you guys rock! So this is for you, and to all who read.

Enjoy!

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Kick and Gwen continued down the corridor lined with torches ablaze. The walls were covered in lines and lines of hieroglyphs that Kick saw as the history of Meloka while under Kickankhamun's rule. The little crimson light still flickered as it floated down the hall. The two walked side-by-side down the passage, Gwen taking Kick's yellow gloved hand into her own to ease her worries. Of course, Kick couldn't say anything about it- but the area their hands touched suddenly felt tingly with sparks, making the daredevil's face heat up a bit.

Suddenly the ember halted in front of a large statue of Anubis on the right wall. The keeper of the tombs was written in hieroglyphs on the front of it.

While the two were gawking at the marvelous work before them- they didn't notice a panel behind them open.

"I guess this is it." Gwen gulped; Kick could see a glistening bead of sweat trickle down the side of her face. He squeezed her hand in support, his blue eyes strong and determined which made her feel a little less anxious.

Out of the shadowed panel was another passageway and something lurked inside coming toward the two children- too wrapped up in each other to notice.

Gwen didn't know what made her feel so strange but the torchlight and the (what she thought was) privacy she gained a little nerve and leaned down, eyes closing to kiss her partner. Kick felt his breath near stop at her motioned but simply closed his eyes and leaned upward ever so gently to make contact with her lovely, soft, pink lips.

Two hands reached out and grabbed both of their shoulders, causing them to kill the romantic tension built up.

"Kick!" The boy turned to see his best amigo standing there with the three others- a smug Mouth, a slightly irritated Kendall and a testy looking Wacky Jackie.

Kick was suddenly assaulted by one of Jackie's killer hugs, smothering him close to her like a teddy bear and questions, "We thought that witch had killed you! Are you alright? What are you doing with Gwen? You weren't about to kiss were you?"

Kick looked ready to passing with his face turning blue, when Kendall managed to break Wacky's death grip on the poor boy.

"What she means is we're glad to see that you're ok."

"You were gonna kiss Gwen weren't you?" Mouth added sneaking, nudging the daredevil's side with his elbow.

Kick was about to deny the claim when her remembered he had no voice; he turned to Gwen for help.

"Guys, Kick can't talk. Septaria took his voice away-"

"NO- NOT THE SMEXY VOICE!" The two girls and Gunther screamed, greeted by confused looks on the other three faces.

"Anyway-" Gwen continued, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We don't have much time to explain, Septaria and Tyrannus are planning to resurrect the pharaoh along with his undead army, and we have to stop them!" Kendall replied.

"We have no idea where they are!" Jackie imputed hopelessly as a circle formed minus one daredevil who kept staring at the statue.

_If Anubis is the keeper of the tomb then it must be nearby,_ Kick noted as an idea popped in his head. He started to pull the statue only instead of meeting resistance, it opened like a door. Everyone turned to see the passageway with Kick standing in the entrance.

"Nice going Kick!" Gwen praised him as she took a torch from the wall. Kick only snugged off the words while Kendall could see the faint color on his face which set a spark of jealousy in her. The group entered the room quietly, led by Kick and Gwen with her torch. Soon they began to hear voices and darted behind two pillars that were standing nearby. Slowly peeking around the corner, they saw the two villains standing over the mummified king's body.

"It's time Tyrannus." The woman noted as the moon now engulfed the boy's body.

"We have to stop them." Gwen whispered.

Suddenly, chains wrapped around each spy, trapping them to the column they used a sanctuary. Spun around to face their captors, Tyrannus chuckled darkly: "Do you honestly consider us to be deaf?"

It was the first time anyone had heard his voice, and it was like snakes slithering all over their skin- an eerie shiver racing through them.

"We must perform the ritual now!" Septaria commanded as the Book of the Dead began to glow, "Let them witness their own destruction."

The prisoners could watch in horror as the ceremony began.

"A few spells of life," Septaria flicked her hands as purple smoke entered the wrapped dead king, "The Ankh of Power and Passion," She placed the necklace around his neck, "And the-"

She paused, her eyes scanning the page.

"What?" Tyrannus asked with his gruff voice.

"A sacrifice must be put in the place of the lost soul- a soul that has been to the underworld before."

Both villains looked at each other- almost in a challenging way, before Tyrannus was engulfed in purple tendrils of smoke.

"Sacrifices must be made, better roman scum than I." She stated simply as her partner stared at her with hatred red eyes.

"You'll pay for this you witch."

Septaria pretended not to hear her and began to chant:

"**Great Pharaoh of the heavens**

**God of the Nile! **

**I call for your return!**

**Return to rule your kingdom **

**Lead the revolution**

**The world over**

**All for your glory!"**

Everyone watched as a gray swirled portal appeared in the ground, the wails of thousands of souls filling their ears. The gale force was so strong Kick and Gwen felt their chain break under the pressure. Now free, they crawled behind the column to wait the wind out. Tyrannus was pulled forward and a mark of a skull engraved into his forehead. He struggled against an invisible force, slowly pulling him into the underworld- "You filthy, traitorous howling BIT-" (A/N: HEY KIDS ARE WATCHING!) He couldn't finish his insult before disappearing into the sinkhole of souls and vanishing out of sight.

Mere moments later a large golden orb emerged from the portal flied into Kickankhamun's body. The air was heavy with tension as the mummy did nothing at first. Then the hand began to clench and release.

"Yes... YES!" The priestess said in delight. The four watched as the mummy stood up, reaching up to remove the gold mask from his face. All eyes focused on the newly created life as the mummy stood once more- a bit taller than before with natural posture. His hands grasped both sides of the golden face mask and lifted up to reveal his head covered in bandages.

"Oh great Pharaoh," Septaria said in a near worshiping tone, "It is I who released you from the grizzly bends of the underworld. You will now serve me!"

"As it is commanded, it will be." The mummy replied in an eerily familiar voice, with a tint of power within the sound.

_No!_ Kick thought angrily as he charged from his hiding place.

"Kick!" Gwen moved to stopped him when she ducked back into the pillar to remain out of sight- she had to find Kamilah's body after all.

Kick ran at full speed up to Septaria and delivered a heavy blow to her mid-section. The priestess fell back, hugging her middle and cursed.

"Blast you Buttowski! Kickhamun - attack!" She ordered as the mummy nodded, charging at the daredevil.

"KICK WATCH OUT!" Kendall yelled in warning, as the boys tried to break the chain.

For the boy hero it was like fighting a mirror; for every move he tried Kickankhamun had a successful counter attack. Every punch had a punch, weave had a weave and pin had a release. The battle was getting quite literally nowhere- until Kick began to think about his weak points. He drop-kicked the mummy's legs and used a loose piece of bandage to hogtie his undead attacker. The four people watching cheered, but their celebration was premature. Cloth appeared around the silent daredevil and began to mummify him while he was still alive. The wraps began to squeeze tighter, nearly cutting off the boy's air circulation.

Septaria cackled evilly as Kick struggled. Kickankhamun had managed to untie his body and now stood to fulfill his next command. When out of nowhere, a familiar red sprite of light appeared and began to confuse the mummy like a fly. Gwen took this distraction to get behind the stone alter.

"Kamilah's body must be here somewhere." She whispered as she frantically began to look for any clues. Gwen was feeling around the base of the alter when she noticed a small crack in the floor. The red haired girl pushed against the alter to angle herself for a better look, only to feel the alter move slightly with the force of her weight. Slightly hopeful, Gwen began push the alter more.

"No! Get away you pesky insect!" Septaria yelled in protest, batting the light away with her hand without another thought.

Gwen pushed harder; the stone fully moved further and began to emit a ruby glow. Inside the hidden catacomb was the body of the human servant Kamilah. She lay in almost in a sleep like state, but she was very pale. The light recovered from the blow and flew into the Ruby of Passion, making the gem glow and shake. Soon the rattle was so violent it broke out of the Ankh of Power and flew around toward the hiding female. Her emerald eyes watched in amazement as the ruby penetrated the glowing force field like a bullet the two lights meshing in a bright, blinding blast.

After the light receded, out of the gray underworld a skeleton reaper phased into the room. Its eye sockets blazed as it spoke in a dark tone,

**"Two souls have exited- two souls must return!"**

It extended its skeleton arm as Septaria tried to free herself to no avail.

"NO! My plan- my kingdom! It will be mine! MINE!" As she was invisibly dragged under, she began swearing revenge. With its balances checked the portal closed and vanished, leaving everyone as if it were never there.

The mummy of Kickankhamun stance loosened for a second before he collapsed to his hands and knees as if a great burden had been relieved of its shoulders. Gwen stood from her hiding place, allowing herself to be seen and saw the near suffocated boy.

"Oh no..." She ran over to help her friend, ripping the bandages off. The girl was just in time too, Kick silently gasped for oxygen and Gwen allowed him to catch his breath.

Kickankhamun rose to feet gathering attention as he reached to remove the bandages from his head.

"Ewww," Jackie spat in disgust, "I don't wanna see all that ugly mummy stuff."

Only when the cloth was removed, Kickankhamun did not appear to look thousands of years dead. Oh contraire- he looked like the handsome twelve year old boy he once was with dark cerulean eyes and fully tanned skin; the red and white crown upon his head with the snake emblem of royalty displayed.

Jackie and Kendall felt their jaws drop, "God, he's gorgeous..." The brunette said lightly, at a loss of breath. Kendall had to control herself not to faint.

"What happened here? Oh my aching head..." The pharaoh rubbed his temple with one hand as his cerulean eyes adjusted to the light around them. When he could see fully his eyes caught sight of the chained-up gang of boys and girls.

"Rah above, are you all alright?" Kickankhamun walked up to the column. He took the chain that Gunther and Mouth could hardly weaken and ripped it in two as if it were wet toilet paper. The boys walked out while Kickankhamun offered his hands to both girls.

"I do hope it wasn't I who chained you in such a rustic style- you must forgive me." He kissed the back of both their hands, making the two girls blush pink.

Gunther had joined Gwen by Kick's side, "Is he ok?"

"Yeah, I think so." Gwen diagnosed as Kick's breathing and color had returned.

Kickankhamun paused- his eyes flickered with a flash of disbelief as he turned toward the voice- only seeing a ponytail of ruby red hair.

"Could it be?" He questioned aloud, hurrying toward the redheaded girl. Grabbing her shoulders, he spun her around to get a look at her face.

Gwen looked confused and shocked for a split second before her green orbs widened in recognition. "I-I'm not Kamilah, my name is Gwen, you're mistaken."

Disappointment filled the pharaoh's eyes, "My apologies, Gwen, you just reminded me of... Her." His eyes cast to the ground in sadness.

"But I do know where she is now." She added quickly, much to the other's amazement and boy king's rekindled spirit. She headed for the altar's hidden chamber and managed to pull Kamilah's body out and lay it on the altar's flat top.

"Kamilah…" The pharaoh said with faint hope as he beheld her motionless body; still dressed in the white tunic with a gold rope tie waist, her crimson hair still tied in a braid.

"What has happened to her?" He asked the populace in his presence, his eyes still locked on his beloved friend.

"Septaria placed some spell upon her to keep her from dying and telling you who was your murderer." Gwen said somberly but politely, "She died keeping your death a mystery."

"She is not dead." Kickankhamun said firmly as everyone looked up. "Her soul never entered the gates of the underworld- I would have known if she had

"She is not dead." Kickankhamun said firmly as everyone looked up. "Her soul never entered the gates of the underworld- I would have known if she had."

"Then- she's still under Septaria's spell." Kendall deduced.

"Well, how do we wake her up, true love's kiss?" Jackie asked smartly.

Kickankhamun tilted his head, "True love's kiss?"

Kendall rolled her eyes, "That's stupid Jackie, this isn't a fairytale."

Kick only smacked his forehead, when the two Kick's met eye-to-eye. Again, it was like looking in a mirror- an ancient mirror.

"Why do you not speak?" Kickankhamun asked curiously, "Are you dumb?"

"Most would think so." Mouth snickered as Gunther hit him upside the head. "Just joking." The spy said defensively.

"Kick could speak before- but you see he can't now." Gwen explained as she wrapped her arms around herself, the thin nightgown she was still clothed in was beginning to make her chilly, "Septaria took his voice in order to let you speak."

The pharaoh's hand immediately went to his throat; with shock in his eyes- "He did his willingly?"

"Well, yes and no." The green eyed girl rubbed her arms more, "He gave up his voice to save me from harm."

"He must be a very loyal friend if he were to pay such a price."

Gwen felt her eyes move from the pharaoh's to the daredevil's, blue to blue as she smiled a bit uncontrollably, "Yea, he's a great friend."

Kick only nodded in return with a smile in reply.

"There must be some way for everything to be settled, the question is how." Gunther said while pondering himself.

Kickankhamun suddenly snapped his fingers, "I believe I know someone who might be able to help us."

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Whew, Chapter 7 is done! Ahead of schedule actually, I hadn't planned on finishing this till Saturday, but time was on my side. Anyway, R&R!

-Phoenix


	8. Chapter 8

The Curse of the Crimson Ankh

**Recap: The gang re-united and tried to stop our villains from unleashing the evils of the underworld. Now with Septaria and Tyrannus defeated, Kickankhamun has come to him senses; releasing the group from their binds. Kamilah has been discovered half-alive and Kick still has no voice; Kickankhamun believes he knows someone who can help.**

Ok, chapter 8 has arrived! Thanks to SariSpy56 and notalivezombie for your reviews! Not much to say except enjoy.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

The great pharaoh picked up the Book of the Dead, turning the ancient pages and began to speak in Egyptian tongue that no one could understand. The swirling gray portal erupted again this time revealing the form of a girl around the boy-kings age. She was taller than most, with long brunette hair half covered by her head garment. She wore a long pale blue dress with a round neckline encrusted with amber jewels and a blue crown that resembled the pharaoh's.

"Priestess Hafsah-" The Pharaoh greeted as he closed the book, eliminating the portal as well.

Her light purple eyes fluttered at the sight of Kickankhamun, immediately bowing in respect, "My Pharaoh! For what pleasure I have to be yanked from death's cold grasp and into the glorious honor of your presence?"

Kendall puffed and rolled her eyes, "Kiss-up much?" She whispered to Jackie beside her.

"You are my highest priestess- the studier of great spells, are you not?" Kickankhamun said in a monotone voice.

"But of course, pharaoh." The girl replied back finally looking up, "How may I serve you?"

Kickankhamun motioned to Kamilah's immobile body that had been accompanied by Kick and co. "My servant has been cursed by one of your previous students." The tone changed ever so slightly, from stone cold to a fain beg, "If you can bring her back to us, you would have my undying gratitude."

Hearing the boy's plea, the girl rose to her feet, a sly smile crawl over her lips, "I shall do my best, Pharaoh." She pushed her way through the crowd and stood before the stone alter. She touched the body is several places muttering under her breath some Egyptian language. Soon she turned to face the few who awaited her diagnosis.

"I'm afraid her soul is inside her body but is still charmed." The girl explained, "It will take a great force to try to awaken her spirit."

"How do we do that?" Gunther asked as the priestess closed her eyes.

"I am not quite sure…"

Kickankhamun had stroked his chin in thought, before looking up, "You said a great force?"

"Yes, something powerful and meaningful."

Kickankhamun half-turned to see Mouth, "You mentioned a meaningful action earlier, I believe?"

Mouth looked confused for a moment before getting it, "You mean 'true love's kiss'? Yeah, I guess that's a powerful force."

"Love is one of the most powerful forces in history! It can lead to war, danger and even death. True love is the ultimate power over a young girl." Kendall analyzed quickly as the group caught on.

"So, we have to find her true love and make him kiss her?" Jackie asked the priestess who looked strangely similar to herself.

Hafsah looked distressed by the thought but nodded, "Yes. And there is only one possible person to be her true love…" The priestess looked at the pharaoh with cold eyes as everyone turned.

"But I thought Kamilah and Kickankhamun were just friends?" Gwen thought aloud as the boy-king dipped his head, hiding his expression.

"I may not be her true love, but I was the closest friend she ever had. That must qualify for something." Kickankhamun began to make his way to the alter when the priestess blocked his path.

"Are you saying that the great Pharaoh of the Nile has fallen under the spell of a Roman servant girl?" Her voice was a mixture of tension, disbelief and anger.

"I am saying that I am the closest person here who she could love if she chose to!" The pharaoh stood his ground and eyed the priestess until she stepped aside. Everyone watched with anticipation as the boy stood beside the sleeping girl. It was almost cinematic when through the low torchlight; the Pharaoh leaned over and gently pressed his lips against the pink lips of his own companion. The kiss must have lasted for nothing more than a few moments for the pharaoh pulled away, hope glimmering in his eyes as they all watched the girl's pale skin grow tanned. Life seemed to fill her body like a glass as her fingers curled and shoulders straightened before her eyelids opened to reveal the purest emerald eyes nature could create.

"Kickankhamun?" The girl questioned as her vision cleared, taking the boy king into focus with the torchlight.

"Kamilah…" The boy breathed in pleasant shock, their eyes making contact before the servant girl threw her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. The two shared a warm embrace as everyone cheered behind them.

Soon they separated- Kickankhamun speaking first, "I'm so happy you're alright."

"I would not have been if not for these brave souls." Kamilah looked toward the group with a grateful smile on her face.

"Right- the servant is awakened- is this all my pharaoh?" Hafsah tried to keep her voice from breaking into the sour mood her face portrayed.

"Wait! What about Kick's voice?" Gwen reminded about the second issue.

"This boy's voice was taken in order to allow my body to speak." Kickankhamun explained.

"Well I could do a transfer spell, but I would need the Pharaoh's voice box to replace it." Hafsah offered.

"But Septaria and Tyrannus couldn't find the voice box- it wasn't in Kickankhamun's burial chamber." Jackie pointed out, leaving the question to arise on the status of the boy king's voice.

"Do you think it might have been stolen?" Mouth thought as the pharaoh shook his head in denial.

"Nobody could infiltrate my pyramid." He said confidently.

"Then if it wasn't buried with the Pharaoh then, where is it?" Gunther questioned as everyone turned to the now sitting Kamilah, who had cleared her throat for attention. She stood, moving for her hidden chamber and later returned with a familiar looking jar.

"THE PHARAOH'S VOICE BOX!" Hafsah proclaimed in confusion, "But how?"

"The priest who mummified the pharaoh was aware of the possible resurrection prophecy whispered," She looked down bashfully, "He gave the voice box to me for safe keeping. When I was stashed under the pharaoh's alter after my 'death' the same priest must have discovered me and hidden the jar there."

"So no one else would know about it." Kendall brightened as she understood.

"Precisely." The red haired servant turned to her master, "Great priestess, may I present the Pharaoh's voice."

The priestess took the jar, and after examining the content with her eyes, nodded. "It is there. I need the boy for the ceremony."

Kick boldly walked up to the priestess and stood beside the king. Hafsah looked between both boys taking in their similarities before beginning. Kamilah backed up until she was beside Gwen where the four kids noted the two girl's similarities. Smoke began to form around the two boys and priestess as she chanted the spell. Soon the din died down as the three stood there. Kick and Kickankhamun looked at each other for a moment before Kick spoke, "Thanks for the voice."

"Consider it payment for helping defeat my enemies." The pharaoh replied politely, his voice was near identical to Kick's with more of a firm undertone, like that a leader should have.

"KICK!" Gunther cried happily as the boy was glomped by his best friend.

"Good to be back, buddy." The daredevil smiled as he high-fived his best bud.

Kendall and Jackie hugged Kick simultaneously; their voices blurred into a loud "YOU'RE OK!" Slightly flushed, the boy hugged them back as Kendall released him; Jackie hanging on longer. Kendall rolled her eyes and finally got the obsessed fan girl off of him. Mouth simply sent him a thumbs-up, which he replied likewise. Gwen pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she simply smiled at Kick who walked up to the pajama clad girl and hugged her.

"Thank you, for everything." He whispered in her ear. The gruff sound sent pleasant thrills down her spine as she hugged him back, a small smile on her pink lips.

Kickankhamun took Kamilah's hand as she smiled sweetly; he then turned his attention to the priestess. "Hafsah: Thank you, I owe you a great debt I may never be able to repay."

"Oh, it was all in duty for the gods." Hafsah said, smiling fakely as a small gray portal opened below her feet, "But I shall not forget this day, Pharaoh." She finished smugly as she melted back into the underworld in which she came from.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Kickankhamun and Kamilah became good friends with Kick and his gang. Since this was an educational field trip, Kickankhamun offered to take them on a tour of the pyramid they were currently standing in. Surprisingly Kendall and Jackie were the only ones to agree so they linked arms with the boy king as he walked the halls, pointing out various parts of his lineage.

"This image was dedicated to my grandfather, who led the Egyptian army against the invading Turks." The two girls glanced at the art on the limestone walls.

"Wow, this is better than any museum I've been to." Kendall marveled.

"Perhaps because the people of this generation can't re-connect to the lives of the past, it is not easy." The Pharaoh mused to himself, the influence on his past still leaving their toll.

"Wow, it must be so amazing being a Pharaoh." Jackie swooned in a sing-song voice.

"Well, it's nothing note-worthy but someone must do it." Kickankhamun shrugged as he led them into the throne room where the others were relaxing. They had gathered around to hear Kamilah tell one of her fables.

"So the thought of his father's death plagued the boy's mind for thirty days and nights. Soon the pain was too much that he abandoned his father's final gift in the sands of the desert, never to be seen again." The storyteller dramatically spoke, her eyes hardening with each word. She lowered her head to show her end and everyone clapped.

"Ah, the story of the traveling son, that was always popular in the court." Kickankhamun clapped as his presence was announced.

"Kickankhamun; I'm sorry I didn't see you enter." Kamilah apologized as she approached him.

"You must re-tell it another time, but now I propose that the six of you return before your supervisors begin to worry." His direction turned to the group of three girls and boys.

"Thanks for everything; we do owe you all so much." Kamilah smiled sweetly.

"It's nothing," Kick said awesomely, "but we could use a ride back to the hotel."

"That gives me an idea." The boy king smirked as he took Kamilah's hand, leading them all down another corridor.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

In another room down the corridor stood two large solid-gold chariots, each strapped to two idle stone horses. The carts were embedded with diamonds and other precious gems.

"Whoa…" A gasp erupted over the crowd at the marvelous sight.

"Solid gold chariots," Mouth awed his jaw dropping, "Do you know how much these are worth?"

"May I remind you, he's a pharaoh?" Kendall 'duhed' at Mouth's silly question while controlling the urge to rant on about wealthy kings.

"They're so beautiful…" Gwen breathed as she reached to touch the golden axle, admiring the engraving in the spokes. Kick nodded as he kneeled beside her, their hands gently touching at the same time. For once, the daredevil wished he hadn't worn the yellow, rubber gloves as part of his outfit.

"These will defiantly get you there." Kickankhamun stepped into one of the chariots as Kamilah took the other.

"But how will they work with stone horses?" Jackie questioned as Kickankhamun smirked. With a few words in Egyptian; the horses began to move, stamping their hooves and whinnying with life.

"This feels like the beginning of a beautiful race!" Gunther suggested as the pharaoh nodded in agreement.

"Yes; maybe a battle of the sexes?" His implied question was directed toward Kamilah who for the first time looked almost devilish with the idea.

"Sounds good to me." The girl agreed, grasping her reigns tightly.

"Don't worry- I'll go easy on you." He spoke directly to her now a challenging look plastered on his face and a tempting fire in his blue eyes. Kick, Gunther and Mouth standing behind him.

"I bet you will." She replied back with a bright, devilish grin. Gwen, Kendall and Jackie stood behind her.

Faster than a blink, both snapped her horses into motion; the beige animals thundering out and into the corridor, Kickankhamun just behind her. Torches flew by on the walls like street lamps as the two rumbled down toward a main shaft.

"HOLD ON!" Kamilah yelled over the horses' gallop, everyone griping each other like a chain. As they entered the main shaft, the horses flew straight up, headed for the star lit sky. As they exited the pyramid, a loud scream of delight released from all as they broke into the cool night air.

The moon offered clear light as the two teams raced across the star-filled sky as high as the clouds brewed. Jackie actually reached out and touched one in her hand, the soft fluff floating away in the wind to smack straight into Gunther's face in the behind chariot. He coughed, swiping the air away as a giggle exited her mouth, turning back forward before the Viking boy could determine who did it. Kick couldn't help but be speechless for the second time that night, the flight was like something out of a movie or fairy tale but seriously awesome; his attention was distracted as he heard a familiar 'WOO-HOO' erupt from Gwen next to them. The red of her hair flowed down her back, unchained from her usual ponytail as the light jade nightgown blew in the quick pace of the race, her beauty unwillingly forcing him to sigh.

While Kickankhamun tried to focus on the race, his attention too was lost to the rivaling Kamilah's natural beauty. She sweet look had been replaced with pure determination to win, it was admirable really.

_Everything about her is admirable…_ His thoughts halted as the horses took a dive. Mouth was gripping the back of the chariot for dear life, heights were not his specialty.

Soon the hotel came into view as Kamilah hunched over, smacking the reigns faster as the two were neck-and-neck. When, unfortunately, both horses touched the rooftop simultaneously, leaving the winner unclear.

"I still won." Kamilah mumbled, slightly pouting with her tie.

The six kids steeped off the chariots and onto the cold roof, their minds still whizzing with the sensation of flight.

"Thank you, for everything." Gwen said earnestly.

"You're welcome; stop by anytime." Kickankhamun nodded warmly, "We will always welcome great allies."

"We will." Kick sent the two a thumbs up, which the pharaoh replied in kind, Kamilah smiling with sweetness.

Everyone waved as the two chariots took off again up and out of sight into the clouds, hiding from the glare of the modern world.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

The moment passed as Ms. Fitzpatrick and Dr. Axle suddenly busted onto the roof.

"Where have you children been?" She demanded, "We were about to call the police!"

A knowing look passed through the crowd as Kick spoke up, "Ms. Fitzpatrick- you wouldn't believe us if we told you."

"Mmm-hmmmm," Was all she could reply as the man changed the subject.

"Well that doesn't matter now- as long as you all are ok." His thought was answered with nods as Mouth let out a yawn.

"Back to your rooms, we leave in the morning anyhow." The teacher ordered as the grouped headed for the door. Kick was about to follow when out of his peripheral view he saw Gwen still stand there, arms wrapped around her bare limbs, looking toward the high hanging moon. He felt something fall on his head as he removed it to see a large beige vest, and a smirking father walk away as if nothing happened. The daredevil had a feeling how this was going to to go down and took a deep breath, walking toward the gazing girl.

"Can you believe it Kick?" Gwen asked almost philosophically as she kept her gaze upward, "The adventure and now it's just… over."

He slipped the vest over her near shivering body; her glistening green eyes turning to face him now even with the height difference.

"Yeah, that's the thing about adventures." He mused back, looking down for only a moment before back up into Gwen's hypnotic emerald eyes, "They have to end in order for new ones to begin."

The redhead said nothing but smiled at the understanding daredevil before pulling him into a hug. Kick hugged Gwen back, her hair filling his nose with the smell of the mysterious twilight woods he loved about her. They both pulled away, Gwen feeling her face begin to blush with the warmth of Kick's embrace. She took his hand in hers, standing up as they walked back to their respective rooms, the experience still fresh in all their minds- not to be dimmed by the time to come.

-KBSD: TCotCA-

Well, that just about wraps everything up. I hope you all enjoyed reading this; I know I enjoyed writing it! Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, it was a good run but all things came to an end. This is my gift to SariSpy56: I hope you enjoyed it girl!

Am I done writing? Heck no! I'm actually inspired by another form of mythology- Greek (or Roman). If you all are interested, let me know in the reviews, I appreciate your thoughts and feedback.

Ciao!

-Phoenix


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